


You’re The Only Hope For Me

by rc0ncan



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Alpha Gerard Way, Alpha/Omega, Bottom Frank Iero, M/M, Top Gerard Way, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:27:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 36
Words: 40,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23231689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rc0ncan/pseuds/rc0ncan
Summary: "You can't imprint on a human!""Watch me"In Frank's simple world, things like werewolves and vampires only existed in high budget Hollywood films using overpaid actors. Living in the small Jersey town of Belleville, Frank lived a comfortable life. He manages the small diner left to him from his grandparents and attends church every Sunday. He is constantly dodging set up attempts from the little old ladies that frequent his diner or in his congregation. Frank thought the craziest thing he would ever see in this sleepy town was Mrs. Yamaguchi throwing her husbands clothes out the second story window when she caught him cheating. But that would all change when he meets the gorgeous and mysterious Gerard Way.
Relationships: Frank Iero/Gerard Way, Ray Toro/Mikey Way
Comments: 11
Kudos: 89





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> To date, this is my most popular Fic. It’s time for some bottom Frank and Alpha Gerard, Enjoy 😜

In this story: Shaggy haired Gee and clean cut smol bean Frank

—————

"This is a bad idea" Mikey murmured from the other side of the booth. They stumbled across this dumpy little diner and Gerard was starving. Normally the Way brothers were not allowed to associate with humans, per their fathers orders, but that's what made this that much more exciting. They were about a half hour from their home, a large colonial house set in the woods. They actually lived in a little village of similar people, seeing as Donald Way didn't like interacting with humans much himself. Mikey knew it was unlikely for them to run into anyone they knew, but he also knew the repercussions of being caught.

"Just chill out, Mikes" Gerard said. Mikey was right, they would be totally fucked if their mother or father knew about this, but Gerard had been feeling antsy lately. He was 26 now and had yet to find his mate, but for some reason over the last few months, his inner wolf had been pulled further and further away from the village.

Mr Way was concerned that his oldest son still hadn't found a mate. He practically dragged Gerard door to door to meet every potential mate in the village but his wolf never imprinted on anybody. All the girls swooned over him because not that Gerard wanted to brag or anything, but he looked damn good in his tight black jeans and black shaggy hair.

Mrs Way had suggested letting Gerard out to roam the state, thinking maybe his mate was in a different pack. Mates were chosen by the goddess, for life and it wasn't uncommon to have wolves imprint with mates from other packs. Normally the lower ranking wolf would be required to desert their pack and join their higher ranking mate's. But this didn't concern the Way's one bit, knowing that both of their sons were alpha males. This meant that whoever their mates were would be required to join the Way pack.

That's why they were here. Gerard, Mikey and Gerard's best friend Brendon we're driving all over the state looking for true love but coming up empty handed. After a long day of driving and very little food, Gerard insisted they stop at the little diner. Brendon was cool with it but poor Mikey wouldn't stop acting like their father was about to walk through the door.

"If father finds out, just tell him it was all my idea" Gerard shrugged.

"This is all your idea" Mikey countered.

"See? Problem solved".

Gerard sat back in the booth, just as a voice made his ears perk right up and the hair on the back of his neck stand.

"Hey guys, sorry for the wait, my waitress called out sick today. My name is Frank and I'll be taking your order". Gerard looked over to see a short man littered in tattooed. He had a big warm genuine smile across his face as he made eye contact with each of the three men. When he got to Gerard, Gerard swore he felt the earth shift.

His jaw dropped and it almost felt like the rest of the world cease to exist. This gorgeous man was smiling at him and ... and ... oh ...

Mikey kicked him from under the table but it didn't break Gerard from his intense gaze.

"Um, sorry about my friend" Brendon coughed awkwardly. "He doesn't get out much".

Frank brushed off the weirdness as he grabbed a small notebook and a pen from his back pocket. Brendon ordered steak and Mikey ordered chicken, then it was Gerard's turn.

"Um ..." he fumbled. "W-what's good here?" Frank smiled again.

"Well considering I run this place, I would say everything is. But I'm also a little biased."

"Woah that's awesome man" Brendon cooed. "But you're so young! You can't be much older than this scrap" he added, rustling Mikey's hair.

"I'm 22. I've been here since I was 15. My grandparents owned this place and when they passed away they left it to me" Frank said with a little reverence in his eyes. He adored his grandparents and missed them terribly.

"What is better, the steak or the pot roast?" Gerard tried to regain the beautiful strangers attention back to himself. For some reason, this man talking to Brendon was really eating at his inner wolf.

"Honestly? I wouldn't know. I'm vegetarian".

"O-oh I'm s-sorry" Gerard stuttered, suddenly feeling like a total jackass.

"Don't be" Frank brushed off. "It's a choice I live but obviously I don't expect everyone to do it."

"Well what good vegetarian meals do you have?" Gerard asked, now on a mission to impress the beautiful Frank.

"My favorite is the veggie lasagna. It's grandmas recipe just spiced up a little" he winked. If it wasn't for Gerard's naturally quick reflexes, he would have easily missed it, but he didn't and he swore his heart was beating out of his chest.

"That sounds good I'll have that" he said handing his menu over to Frank.

"Coming right up" Frank said brightly, scribbling on his notepad and grabbing the menus. Brendon waited until he walked away to start busting Gerard's balls.

"I never thought I would see the day that Gerard Way was at a loss for words" he said astonished.

"W-What? No, fuck you" Gerard mumbled but the rosy tint on his cheeks was a dead giveaway.

"I mean, yeah, he's totally hot but I don't see it". Brendon and Mikey began discussion the hotness rating of their waiter while Gerard watched him intently. The place wasn't overly big, and Frank was pretty much the only one working the front but with no more then ten tables and only three being used, it wasn't a hard job.

Gerard watched Frank bring a tray of plates to another table with some elderly woman. After setting down everyone's plates, he crouched down next to one of them as she rested her hand on his shoulder and talked to him. Even though it was a perfectly innocent and friendly gesture, Gerard could hear the slight rumble of someone growling and realized fairly quickly that it was himself.

The warning growl was low and obviously not picked up by Frank or the ladies at the table, but Mikey and Brendon definitely didn't miss it.

"Gee? What's wrong?" Mikey asked in a panicked tone. Growling in human form was done rarely and usually when the inner wolf was feeling threatened.

"What? N-nothing. Nothing. I'm just really fucking hungry" Gerard deadpanned. "My wolf is starving."

"Or it's in love" Brendon quipped.

"Oh my god, what are you a 13 year old girl?!" Gerard groaned.

"No. But I've watched people imprint before and you my friend have imprinted on the pretty, tattooed human." He said smugly.


	2. Chapter 2

When Frank came back with their plates, Gerard was hit with a strong pleasant scent. It couldn't have been from any of the food on the table. It smelled musty and made his mouth water. Almost like a pot roast with all the spices and seasonings possible. It nearly made Gerard's eyes roll to the back of his head.

"Here you are, gentleman" Frank said as he filled up all three glasses with more ice water. "Can I bring you anything else? A1 sauce for your steak? Anything?"

"No we're good" Mikey said with a mouthful of steak.

"Actually, do you want to sit with us?" Brendon smirked and Gerard's eyes grew wide. The only open seat was next to him and he didn't know how long he could sit next to Frank before jumping on him and licking his face.

Frank looked a little hesitant. "I probably shouldn't."

"Nonsense. It's just us and them" Brendon said pointing to the table of grandmas. "You can spare a few minutes." Frank sat down awkwardly as he looked between all three of them.

"So Frank. Tell us a little about yourself." Brendon insisted. Fucker was obviously on a mission and Gerard fought back the groan at the back of his throat.

"Well I'm Frank, oh right I told you that. Um, I've lived here in Belleville all my life. And my grandparents practically raised me. I have a dog named Sweet Pea and that's about it I guess."

"Girlfriend? Boyfriend?" Brendon asked.

Frank chuckled. "You guys are definitely more interested in my life then anyone else has been lately." Frank paused as he scratched his neck nervously.

"Definitely no girlfriend. I'm gay, so. But also no boyfriend. They just don't really understand that the diner is my life" Frank shrugged. Brendon sent a knowing glance towards Gerard who was eating quickly while absorbing everything Frank said and did. He talked wildly with his hands and he had a cute little smile.

Wolves weren't gay, straight or bisexual. They only felt a compelling attraction to their mate, and the Goddess was not above matching same sex couples. No body even batted an eye about it, it was so normal. Unfortunately humans do have a specific sexuality and while usually it's said the Goddess takes this into consideration when matching mates, it's always a tricky game of chess to have a human for a mate.

"What about you guys?" Frank interjected, suddenly feeling like he was being interrogated.

"Well I'm Brendon. Only child. Handsome, charismatic, basically an entire package" Brendon said as he flashed a big smile at Frank. Gerard kicked him under the table. "These guys here are two halves of a whole idiot also known as the Way brothers. This is Mikey and that is Gerard". Brendon was lucky he was also an alpha because if he wasn't, Gerard would have dragged him outside and tore his windpipe clean out of his throat by now.

Frank shook Brendon's hand, then leaned over and shook Mikey's. He finally turned to shake Gerard's and the moment they touched, it was like fire erupted inside of him. Frank looked at him almost concerned because Gerard was clutching onto his hand like his life depended on it.

After a few moments, the two men let go and Frank took this as his opportunity to leave. "I'm sorry to run fellas, but Mrs Jones and the gals look to be about done so I should check in with them. Enjoy your food" he said with a smile as he stood up and walked away. Brendon and Mikey spent the rest of the time chatting back and forth about god knows what, but Gerard ate silently as he kept an eye on Frank.

————————————————————————

"So, be honest. Tell me how it was" Frank pressed when all three were standing in front of the register getting ready to pay.

"The steak tasted like steak" Mikey said with a straight face.

"Okay?" Frank laughed.

"Believe me, that's as close to a compliment as Mikey fucking Way will probably ever get" Brendon laughed. "My chicken was fabulous, by the way." Frank turned to Gerard waiting for his feedback. He almost seemed like that one was the most important one.

"The lasagna was honestly some of the best I've ever had" Gerard spoke. "I will have to come back and have some more." Frank smiled widely and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Alright guys, total is $21.91." Brendon elbowed Gerard.

"Pay the man, Gee" he said.

"Fucking assholes" Gerard murmured as he fished out his wallet from the back pocket of his skin tight jeans. "I've paid for everything this entire weekend".

"Don't forget its daddy's credit card, Gee. And your parents are rich as hell, therefore you should always have to pay."

Gerard rolled his eyes as he handed a black platinum credit card over to Frank.

"I-I'll need your phone number" Frank stuttered, suddenly turning a little pink. All three men looked at him confused. "You know, I-Incase your card declines later and I can call you."

It was a lame excuse, even for Frank, but Gerard didn't miss a beat as he grabbed a slip of paper and a pen off the counter, scribbling his digits across it.

"Call me if it doesn't work. Or call me even if it does, you know. Whatever". Gerard's instant confidence was quickly derailed with his awkward wording and he also turned pink in response.

"Well this was fun, but we've got to run. Thanks for the grub, Frankie!" Brendon called out as he practically dragged Mikey after him. Frank handed Gerard the receipt to sign and Gerard added a $50 tip onto it, writing give to the good looking waiter. Frank didn't even notice the extra writing as he handed Gerard back his credit card and a copy of the receipt.

"Thanks Frank" he called as he walked out the door. His wolf didn't want to leave, and the musty scent of Frank became more and more distant. Getting in the car, Brendon had taken the passenger seat and Mikey was sat in the back. It only took Gerard a second after the door closed before he turned and punched Brendon in the arm.

"The fuck?! What was that about?" Brendon cried in pain.

"What the hell was that about?" Gerard rebutted as he pointed back to the diner.

"Just trying to help you, Gee, damn" Brendon sulked against the window. Gerard started up the car and headed out of the small parking lot with his headlights pointing towards home.


	3. Chapter 3

Frank was closing up for the night, cleaning off tables and replacing salt shakers and napkins. His cook, Patrick, was in the back cleaning dishes.

"I'd say it was a pretty good day" Patrick called from the kitchen.

"Yeah, it wasn't bad" Frank replied as started heading to the register to close out for the night. The diner was doing ok, but he wasn't rich by any means so Frank always worried about how much business was coming in.

"You had three pretty good looking guys drag you into the booth with them. That was way better then 'wasn't bad'" Patrick joked.

Frank's memory was pulled back to the three men, particularly Gerard. He was gorgeous but a little odd. And when they shook hands Frank swore he saw Gerard's eyes change color, just for a moment. His hazel ones turned almost yellow before flipping back. As Frank pulled out all the credit card receipts to run the tip payments, he shook his head.

"You got that guys number you should totally call" Patrick said as he walked behind the counter where Frank was. Patrick always waited for Frank as he closed out, so he wouldn't have to be alone.

"Yeah and the numbers to all other 21 credit card transactions today" Frank joked as he tried to hide the blush creeping up his cheeks. Patrick sighed and hopped up on the counter next to the register. About a minute or two passed with only the sound of the register keys clicking before Frank froze.

"What's wrong?" Patrick noticed as he looked up from his phone to see a bewildered look on his friends face.

"Someone left a $50 tip" he said astonished.

"Wow" Patrick's eyes raised. "Wait what's the writing say?" Patrick leaned forward and plucked the receipt out of Frank's fingers before he could react.

"Good looking waiter?" He questioned out loud. "He must have been thinking of a different restaurant" Patrick joked and Frank shoved him a little while taking the receipt back.

"Fuck you" he chuckled.

"Wait who left that?"

"Um I'm not sure" Frank spoke slowly.

"You really are a shitty liar" Patrick laughed as he grabbed the receipt again. "Donald Way? Who the hell is that?"

"That's Gerard's dad" Frank mumbled under his breath.

"Ok, next question. Who is Gerard?" Frank didn't respond. "Oh wait. He was the cutie with the phone number!" Frank's blush was all reassurance Patrick needed to know he was right.

"Well he wants to suck your dick so you totally have to call him now" Patrick concluded.

"Listen not every guy that calls me cute wants to give me a blow job" Frank sighed even though the thought of Gerard on his knees doing something so sinful was starting to garner attention from his little friend down south.

"Well that's not true!" Patrick defended. "You maybe didn't see it, but I did. That guy checked out your ass the whole time they were here. So he definitely either wants to fuck it or eat it or whatever kinky shit you two will get into". Frank only rolled his eyes as he locked the register and grabbed his coat.

"Come on, lets go home before you get your ass kicked" Frank chuckled.

————————————————————————

After dropping Brendon off, Gerard and Mikey headed home. They lived on the third floor of the pack house. The pack house was essentially the center for the pack. They had meeting rooms and offices on the main floor. The second floor was full of bedrooms for orphaned children of the pack. Donna made it her mission to save as many as they could. Occasionally someone would be killed or banished from the pack for one reason or another and it was sadly common for the young pups to be left behind. All the mothers of the pack pitched in to raise the kids.

The third floor was reserved for the Way family. Only a certain trusted few house keepers could go up there because the Way's were a private family. Stomping their way up both flights of steps, Gerard hoped he could just slip into his room unnoticed. Unfortunately the Goddess was not on his side today.

"Gerard! Michael! How was your weekend?" Mrs Way called out, practically scaring both boys in the process.

"It was decent" Gerard replied. He knew Mikey wouldn't.

"So if it was decent why have you not returned with a mate?" She asked with her hands relocating to her hips.

"Mikey distracted me." Gerard shrugged. Mrs Way turned and smacked Mikey on the back of the head lightly.

"Michael." She lectured. "You're supposed to be helping him".

"I wasn't distracting him, Mother!" Mikey defended him. It was enough for Gerard to slip away as his mother and brother argued.

After quietly closing and locking his bedroom door, Gerard flopped onto his bed, stuffing his face into his pillow. His brain was entirely consumed with Frank, his twinkling eyes, his bright smile. Even his lip piercing which granted was odd for a diner owner but Gerard wasn't judging.

There was no way Gerard would be sleeping tonight and that sucked. He needed to burn off some of this extra energy. Getting back up and placing his ear to the door, he could no longer hear his mother or Mikey so he assumed Mikey stormed away. Opening his door, his assumptions were confirmed when the hallway was empty.

Tiptoeing, Gerard made his way down the back steps, through the kitchen and out the back door. On the edge of the woods was a shed-type building that people used to hang their clothes and leave their shoes when they would shift. It helped prevent ripped and destroyed clothes. Gerard peeled off all his layers and hung them nicely before stepping back out into the cold autumn air, naked. After taking a deep breath, Gerard started running into the woods, and in one fluid motion, he jumped into the air, completely shifting to his wold form seamlessly.


	4. Chapter 4

Gerard's wolf looked very similar to his father and Mikey's. They were pack alphas so they had a dark gray coat and Gerard even had one white paw. His mother had a white coat and so both Gerard and Mikey had a white splotch of fur on their bodies that they inherited from her. Mr Way was the largest alpha, but Gerard wasn't much smaller than him. The rest of the packs alpha's, betas and omegas were smaller yet.

Gerard spent his time silently running through the woods, listening to nature around him. His human form hated any type of cardio but his wolf loved it. Running was a stress reliever. And fortunately for him, the Way pack owned a large territory of land.

He had been running around aimlessly for about an hour before his wolf picked up a scent. A lovely mouthwatering musky scent. Jerking his head in the direction it was coming from, Gerard took off at full speed. As he got closer, it got stronger.

Stepping to the edge of the woods, Gerard saw a small red house. It was on the end of a dead end road. It was a simple two story home with a driveway and garage. The house was mostly dark, except for one window that was lit up.

Gerard sat there quietly, trying to take on the sights and the smells before a figure walked in front of the window. Frank. Oh fuck this was Frank's house and here he was walking shirtless in front of the window. Gerard had to mentally will the wolf back from running and breaking into the house to have Frank in every way he could.

The woods by Frank's house were considered neutral territory and Gerard knew for a fact there were other packs around. If something were to happen here he would be alone, without backup. And taking out a high ranking rival alpha would definitely be bragging rights for any rival pack, so as hard as it was for him to do, Gerard slowly retreated back towards home.

Because it wasn't a full moon, Gerard was able to shift as he chose. On the full moon, every wolf that has hit puberty shifts and cannot shift back until sunrise. It wasn't all bad and you get used to it.

As Gerard approached the shed that held his clothes, he smoothly shifted back to human form. His hands and feet were muddy and he was sweaty but not any more tired then when he left. Grabbing his clothes and pulling them on half hazardly, Gerard made his way back inside to shower and turn in for the night.

Gerard hadn't realized he left his phone in his room until he walked back in after his shower. Grabbing it he expected to see some stupid meme sent to him by Brendon or something flirty by Jamia who just wouldn't take the hint that Gerard's wolf wasn't interested. But he didn't have either of those things, it was an unknown number.

_Unknown Number: you really didn't have to do that, you know 🙂_

Gerard wanted it to be Frank. Fuck his stomach lurched a little at that thought. But as he thought about it, Frank was the only one who he recently gave his number to. Going on blind hope, Gerard responded.

_Gerard: maybe that means you should use it to take me out 😘_

Fuck, that was smooth, right? Gerard didn't have a lot of time to question his flow before he got a response.

_Unknown Number: maybe I will 😉_

_Gerard: is it safe to say this is Frank? Cuz if it's not I'm gonna kick your butt!_

_Unknown Number: well unless you flirt and give our your number all the time ..._

Gerard smiled shyly at that because no, he didn't do that much even though he probably looked like he did.

_Unknown Number: but if I looked like you I probably would too 😳_

Fuck Frank was so awkwardly charming and Gerard adored it. He quickly saved Frank's number on his phone before texting back.

_Gerard: I only save that kind of attention for the most beautiful ones, sweetheart_

_Frank: 🤓 good to know_

Gerard was still naked and wrapped in a now cold damp towel, so he threw his phone on the bed and got dressed.

_Gerard: So ... about that date ..._

_Frank: damn you're speedy. if you wanted to get into my pants so quickly you could just ask 😉_

Gerard thought he was going to die a little inside. Frank was definitely flirting back and his over emoji use was annoyingly cute.

_Gerard: I didn't know you were that easy, Frankie. Wish I would have known a few hours ago 😘_

_Frank: Wait this is Gerard, right? Not Mikey or *gulp* Donald??_

Gerard laughed out loud at that message. Obviously Frank assumed it was Gerard too which made his heart swell a little.

_Gerard: why don't you find out tomorrow. ill meet you at the diner at 3_

_Frank: ok but if this is Mikey I'll slug ya and if this is Donald I swear to god I'll take out a restraining order 💪🏻_

_Gerard: LOL goodnight Frankie_

Frank stopped responding after that so Gerard curled up under the covers to have a restless night of sleep. His body physically ached to hold Frank and that was alarming. He hardly knew the kid yet he felt like he had known him all his life. Before surprisingly drifting off to sleep, Gerard promised himself he would take a picture of Frank just to have it.


	5. Chapter 5

There was a knot in Frank's stomach all day. Gerard was hot and sure, Frank hadn't been laid let alone on a date in well over two years. The last guy was Bob Bryar and Frank didn't talk about Bob anymore. The only good thing Bob did was show Frank that bottoming was much more of his thing. Before Bob, Frank topped because that's all he knew how to do. When he was with girls in his teenage years those top and bottom roles were elected by genetics. With guys it was different. But Bob was also a top and so Frank was moved to a bottom and even he had to admit how awesome it was. He topped occasionally during his rare hook ups, but Frank Iero was a bottom. **(A/N: any #gerardbottoms don't @ me lol we all know the truth)**

Gerard he seemed like a top. An aggressively sensitive top. Like he would tear Frank apart with his bare hands then piece him back together with long slow kisses. And boy Frank didn't know how right he was about that inkling. Frank didn't know what Gerard thought of a potential relationship. Even if he wanted to just be friends with benefits that would be cool with Frank. But losing his parents and grandparents young made him lonely and he longed for a companion. Sure he had Sweet Pea but he needed someone who would talk back to him, not shit on the rug and chew up his shoes.

Frank was so lost in his head that he didn't hear the bell on the door signaling it had been opened. He looked over and nearly jumped a foot when he saw Gerard standing there staring at him almost like he was hungry.

"Gerard holy shit you scared me" he tried to laugh off.

"I'm sorry. I could have been louder but maybe that would have scared you more." Even Gerard was surprised at how seductive and purr-y his voice came out.

"You look hungry, Gee. Have a seat. I have the greatest slice of pie you will ever eat in your life" Frank said like an excited child as Gerard made his way to a nearby table. Frank dished up two large slices of cherry pie and sat across from Gerard, blushing at his intense gaze.

The restaurant was empty, minus the soft singing back in the kitchen. Gerard practically drooled at Frank's scent. It was stronger today and he was finding it harder and harder to keep the wolf at bay.

"God you smell good" Gerard heard himself say under his breath.

"Hmm?" Frank hummed with his mouth full of pie.

"The pie" Gerard deadpanned. "The pie is very good."

"I thought you would like it" Frank smiled.

"Granny's recipe?" Gerard joked as he took another bite.

"Nope, nope. All mine". Gerard was impressed. He couldn't cook at all but in all honestly he never needed to.

"Well, you're onto something with this" Gerard said pointing down to his plate. He couldn't help but notice the slight blush that stained Frank's cheeks and it made him look adorable. Gerard was about to make his move when the bell to the door chimed. A scent caught Gerard's nose and he instantly became defensive and ready to pounce on something.

"Hey Frankie" a voice called out. Frank got up to greet their intruder while Gerard flipped through his memory as to where this scent belonged. He didn't have to think long before a man followed Frank back to their table. A man Gerard unfortunately knew well.

Bert McCrakken. The alpha son to the pack leader of the McCrakken pack. Not rivals to the Ways but definitely not friends. Gerard felt a low growl vibrating deep in his chest. Bert wasn't startled or even intimidated by seeing Gerard there, in fact he looked almost amused.

"Hey Bert, I want you to meet-"

"Hi Gerard" Bert interrupted. Gerard just scowled.

"Wait, you two know each other?" Frank asked.

"Gee and I are ... old friends" Bert smiled. "Isn't that right, Gee?"

"Very old friends" Gerard spoke through clenched teeth. The wolf was threatened by Bert. An alpha encroaching on another alphas mate or potential mate only spelled trouble.

"Well that's great!" Frank squealed, completely oblivious to the rising tension.

"Where did you meet Gee?" Bert asked with a still amused smile on his face.

"We're ... kind of like friends" Frank blushed. This made Berts smile fade a little.

"Well that's great. Three good friends" Bert said. Gerard was fighting every instinct inside of him that screamed to just rip Bert's head off but as Gerard's wolf was itching to fight or fuck or something, his head was moving a lot faster. Attacking another packs alpha on neutral territory is a recipe for disaster. It could potentially lead to a pack war that Mr Way was trying so desperately to avoid.

"Would you like to join us?" Frank asked.

"Well you know me, my dear, I can never say no to you". Frank smiled as he pulled up a chair for Bert, right between Frank and Gerard.

"So what, Gee, it's been ... three years? How have you been?" Bert didn't care. He was only pushing Gerard further and further until he snapped. But Gerard needed to get control of the situation so he changed up his tactic, visibly relaxing.

"Very good. What about you Bert?"

"Oh you know. Just living the dream. Visiting my little Frankie here every free chance I get" he said glancing back at Frank and patting the top of his hand, letting it linger there longer then he should.

"Well I can see why you like visiting Frank so much. He's quite wonderful" Gerard remarked, shooting a large smile at Frank and causing him to blush. A few more minutes passed of Gerard and Bert throwing back handed compliments at each other that went over Frank's head, before Frank stood up and started gathering the soiled plates.

"I'm going to take these to the back, you two keep catching up" Frank said, clearly proud in thinking he brought two long lost friends together. Once he was out of ear shot, the two men dropped their niceties.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Gerard growled.

"What am I doing? I've been here working on Frank for over a year and I'll be damned if I let some spoiled pretty boy steal him away" Bert argued.

"But he's a human! A human I'm pretty sure I've imprinted on". This made Bert laugh.

"Exactly. He's a human so he isn't bound to the same rules we are" Bert said in a bitter tone. Before too much more could be said, Frank returned.

"Alright fellas" he sighed with a satisfied smile. "You both have succeeded in making me blush profusely but now the party is over. My dinner rush will be starting soon" Frank said as he pointed to the large clock on the wall.

"I can wait" both Gerard and Bert spoke in unison.

"No offense guys and I think you are both great, but my clientele are church going grandmas who wouldn't much like you" Frank pointed towards Bert. "Or you" he added towards Gerard.

"Well I suppose I should run anyway" Bert said as he stood up and pulled on his jacket. "I have to go to work. I don't get to live on daddy's money" he added with a smirk towards Gerard. It was a low blow, mostly because Bert did live on the inheritance from his father's death, but here he was trying to look good in front of Frank.

Once Bert stepped out the front doors, Gerard didn't care if he could still hear or not.

"I don't much like him" Gerard grumbled.

"I'm guessing there was a reason 'long lost friends' were lost?" Frank smiled as he wiped down the table to clear off crumbs from the pie.

"You could say that" Gerard shrugged. "Tell me, when can I see you again?"

"Oh ... uh. T-tonight?" Frank stuttered. Frank wanted badly to just leap into this gorgeous man's arms but he had gotten involved too quickly and almost always ended up hurt.

Gerard smiled. "I'll see you tonight" he purred as he leaned down and kissed his cheek softly. As Gerard left the restaurant, he had one destination in mind. The one person who could answer so many unanswered questions: his grandmother Helena.


	6. Chapter 6

Helena lived in a small house in the village. Being a pack elder, and Donna's mother, she could have elected to live in the pack house with the Way's. Instead she chose to live on her own, relishing in the independence she could finally have.

Gerard adored Helena. They spent a lot of time together, especially with Gerard's birth right as the next pack leader. Helena knew a lot about how the pack ran and the packs history, and Gerard needed some questions answered.

Helena had a large smile fixed to her face before Gerard even entered the door, recognizing the boy's scent practically from the road.

"Good afternoon Gerard" she smiled as she stood up to start coffee.

"Hi Grandma, how have you been?"He asked as he sat down at the dining room table.

"Oh I'm just fine, my dear. I'm definitely glad to see you". Gerard just smiled shyly. "How is your search for a mate?" She asked with a knowing smile

"Well that's kind of why I'm here. What do you know about imprinting?" Gerard queried hesitantly.

"Well" Helena started as she sat back at the table across from Gerard, bringing two steaming cups of coffee with her. "Imprinting is fates way of shoving you into your mates life. It's like floating yet falling. Like the earth shifts yet nothing happened. You never question imprinting because you never feel anything close with another person." Gerard shook his head.

"What about ... imprinting on a human?" Helena was quiet for a while as she studied Gerard's face to see if he was serious. After several moments, a warm smile appeared.

"What's their name?" She asked softly. The color completely drained from Gerard's face, he was busted. Helena knew and the way she was smiling, she probably knew for a while.

"F-Frank. His name is Frank" he said barely above a whisper.

"Well. As you know humans are not bound to the same laws of fate that we wolves are. So you can imprint on Frank, but he may not reciprocate those feelings. Or he may fall out of love over time. I pray to the Goddess that never happens, because you would be very miserable."

"Wait, you aren't mad?" Gerard was stunned. His father put such an importance on avoiding humans that he figured his grandmother shared a similar belief.

"Why would I be mad? The Goddess has finally given you your mate. I'm thrilled" she clapped her hands together. Gerard couldn't help but sigh in relief, until his grandmothers words rang back through his head.

"Grandma what did you mean 'you'd be very miserable?" Helena sighed, resting her hand gently on top of Gerard's.

"Like I said, humans aren't bound to the same rules we are and if your human mate decided to leave you, you would be incapable of imprinting again until ... well until your mate dies." Slowly his father's warnings were starting to make sense. He didn't want his sons to potentially live a lonely life because they stupidly fell in love with a human.

"But I'm sure your Frank wouldn't do that. It normally doesn't happen." Helena added as she patted Gerard's shoulder. Gerard downed the rest of his coffee, gave his grandmother a hug and headed out.

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All afternoon Frank had butterflies in his stomach. There was just something about the way Gerard smiled at him or had that piercing stare. And he wanted to see Frank again. That was a good sign. Frank wasn't a bad looking guy, he knew it wouldn't be hard finding a hook up but he had high standards. High standards that Gerard just seemed to be surpassing.

As the afternoon wore on, Frank was realizing he was developing a crush on someone he hardly knew. He knew he had a brother but that was about it. He itched to know the mysterious dark haired man more.

At about seven, he figured it was time to close up. Patrick had left a few hours ago and the place was dead. Frank figured he would text Gerard and see if he got a response as he closed out the register.

_Frank: still on? or..._

Gerard text back almost immediately. Almost like he had been waiting all evening.

_Gerard: absolutely honey 😘_

_Frank: Great! I'll be home in about twenty minutes_

Frank intended to text Gerard his address before the bell to the diner door rang. Frank looked up to see a smirking Bert standing in the doorway.

"Hey Frankie" Bert cooed. "How was your day?"

"Oh you know" Frank shrugged. "Same shit different day".

"Well it looks like you aren't terribly busy. Let me take you out to dinner."Frank froze.

"Oh ... uh I appreciate the thought it's just I already ... um have plans".

"Plans?" Bert asked as he sat on the counter next to the register, boring his eyes into Frank. "You haven't had plans in forever".

"Well uh, Gerard was here and he asked to hang out." Frank didn't know why he was so nervous telling Bert. They were friends, he should be thrilled but Bert just seemed ... annoyed.

"Gerard? Why would you want to hang out with him?"

"I like him. He's nice and sweet" Frank beamed.

"Well Gerard is ... different. I shouldn't tell you this, it's why we don't talk anymore but Gerard is dangerous." Bert said lowly.

"Dangerous? He doesn't seem dangerous."

"No he wouldn't, would he?" When Frank failed to respond, Bert continued. "Gerard is what would be known as a werewolf."

Frank burst out laughing at that, and Bert's serious face made it that much funnier.

"Werewolves aren't real, Bert" he giggled. "I love a good gory movie just as much as the next freak, but that shit isn't real." A smirk spread across Berts lips.

"Ok Frank. Just don't say I didn't warn you." And with that, Bert left, leaving Frank stunned and confused. Frank decided to save the rest of the register close out until the next day and head home.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smut ahead!

As Frank neared his driveway, he was a little surprised to see a black car parked there. His surprise blossomed when he saw a gorgeous black haired man leaning against it with his arms crossed.

Gerard was sporting dark jeans and a black leather jacket. His shaggy black hair was brushed back and his pale skin was practically luminous in the dark.

"Hi Frankie" Gerard purred when Frank parked his car and climbed out.

"Hey Gee, How was your evening?" Gerard's heart fluttered at the nickname.

"It's a lot better now that I get to see your pretty smile" Gerard said as he tucked a black lock behind Frank's ear, making the latter blush violently.

"D-Do you want to come in?" Frank asked motioning towards the door. Gerard grabbed his hand and practically dragged him to the front door, waiting for the shorter man to unlock it. The minute the door opened, Gerard was screwed. The whole place smelled like Frank.

Once Frank had the door close, he turned around and Gerard practically threw him against it, pressing his lips to Frank, his hands roaming everywhere. Frank was shocked and caught off guard for a moment until he began kissing back hungrily. Frank pushed off Gerard's jacket, leaving what as no doubt an expensive leather jacket on the entryway floor.

"Bedroom" Frank panted out between kisses. It took a second for Gerard to register what that word meant before grabbing Frank's arm and dragged him towards the steps. Frank's house wasn't overly large and it didn't take a genius to figure the bedrooms were upstairs. It was the one door that was open that Gerard pulled Frank into. Luckily there was a large bed so it was good enough for him.

Gerard all but tore Frank's clothes off, panting as more and more inked skin was revealed to him.

"You are so fucking hot" Gerard mumbled as his fingers danced across Frank's chest in smooth strokes. Frank yanked on Gerard's shirt, trying to even them up in the naked department. After pulling off his shirt, Gerard leaned back, admiring the beautiful man in front of him. Frank was almost entirely exposed, only his tight black boxers remained. Gerard's wolf was practically yipping inside. After a distinctive growl that Gerard hoped went unnoticed, he flung Frank onto the bed. Prowling over to straddle him, Gerard's human side kicked in.

"Is this ok?" He asked in a breathy tone.

"So fucking ok" Frank groaned. The tent in his boxers was a pretty obvious answer as well.

That was all the reassurance Gerard needed to to lean back down and pull Frank into another bruising kiss. Frank rested his hands on Gerard's hips for a bit before letting them roam further and grasping Gerard's ass roughly. The older man growled again, nipping at Frank's bottom lip in response.

Gerard climbed off long enough to remove the offending fabric covering both him and Frank. As he climbed back onto the bed, Frank spoke.

"L-lube. Bedside table". Frank's brain was short circuiting. He could hardly form a coherent word. Gerard leaned over to grab the small bottle as Frank sucked a decent hickey into his chest. After retrieving the lube, Gerard looked down and grabbed a fist full of Frank's hair, jerking his head back.

"Are you a virgin?" He asked lowly.

"No" Frank whispered. Gerard technically was, but his animal instincts were kicking in about now. Coating one finger with lube, he circled Frank's entrance slowly. Frank knew the touch was coming, but still nearly jumped a foot in response to it. Gerard chuckled softly.

"Are you sure" he asked again, kissing the side of his face while still gripping Frank's hair.

"Y-Yes but it's been a while." Gerard slipped the finger in, emitting a very embarrassingly loud moan from Frank. He worked the finger in and out slowly before adding a second finger. If Frank was this wrecked after a few touches, Gerard couldn't wait to find that special spot inside of him. With a curling of his fingers, Frank's hips bucked up and a whine from the back of his throat came out.

"Are you ready for me baby?" Gerard groaned.

"O-one more please" Frank begged. He could hardly think straight but one thing he did know was that Gerard was substantially larger than two fingers. After working a third finger in, Frank had decided enough was enough and he needed Gerard's dick like now. His orgasm deprived body was far too close to this being over.

Lubing up his length, Gerard leaned down and reattached their lips as he lined up with Frank's entrance. As if on que, Frank locked his ankles behind Gerard's back, encouraging him to push in more. Slipping just the head in, a searing pain shot up Frank's spine. He tried to keep his discomforted sounds quiet but couldn't help the soothing sounds Gerard started emitting as his fingers gently danced across Frank's chest.

Only a minute or two passed by before Frank was giving Gerard the ok to continue. He kept pushing in slower than before but didn't have to stop again until he was fully sheathed in Frank's tight heat. Gerard's entire body was on fire. Slowly his human nature was melting away as his thrust canted harder and harder.

"Oh fuck, Gee!" Frank all but screamed, and Gerard knew he found his prostate. Tilting his hips slightly, Gerard made sure to slam into it as hard as he could with each thrust, making Frank scream and his body tighten around Gerard's cock each time.

This was too much and it had been far too long. Frank came with a hoarse yell, having never even been touched. Feeling Frank tighten around him to a nearly painful degree was all Gerard could handle as he spilled onto the man below. His arms gave out and Gerard flopped onto the bed next to a blissed out Frank.

"Holy fuck, Gee" Frank said in a raspy, overused voice. "That was so fucking amazing". Still panting and trying to catch his breath, the only response Gerard could come up with was a soft chuckle.

For the first time in his life, Gerard felt fully satisfied. His wolf finally got something it wanted, so it was very easy to pull Frank in closely to Gerard's chest as both men drifted off to sleep


	8. Chapter 8

Gerard had no clue how long they were asleep for, all he knew was he held Frank protectively to his chest as a natural instinct. Suddenly, his ears perked up on soft footsteps padding around in the hall. In the heat of the moment, nobody closed the goddamn door so whatever was walking around out there would be able to see them. Nobody could see Frank naked and vulnerable except for Gerard. Gerard held Frank tighter as he strained his ears and his nose to try to decipher the potential danger in the house. 

Suddenly, a small white rat-looking dog jumped up on the foot of the bed, causing Gerard to jump slightly at the surprise intruder. The dog sat back and stared at Gerard quizzically. He responded by growling a low warning sound, hoping to scare the ugly thing into running away. But no, either the dog was stupid or gutsy because it stood back up on all fours before barking and yapping loudly at Gerard.

Frank groaned in response as he flung a pillow across the bed, deliberately missing the dog but trying to quiet it down.

"Shut up Sweet Pea, it's too fucking early" Frank groaned as he burrowed deeper into Gerard's chest. It only took a moment to realize he wasn't curling up with a pillow, and his eyes popped open as his head shot back.

Frank scanned over Gerard's features, trying to determine if this was real. Was this gorgeous strange man really holding Frank as he slept? Sweet Pea was still yapping and almost trying to challenge Gerard. Growing annoyed at the demonic ankle biter at the foot of the bed, Gerard growled louder and it was definitely heard by Frank, who pulled back a little more.

"Gerard." Frank said almost disbelieving. "Did you seriously just growl at my dog?" Gerard looked kind of guilting before he ran Frank's sentence through his brain again.

"Wait, that thing is your pet?" He asked. "That thing isn't a pet, that thing is a curse". Frank frowned as he sat up and reached for the dog. The dog practically jumped into Frank's arms and licked at his chin lightly, almost mocking Gerard.

"I guess I should have warned you or something. This is Sweet Pea and she's a sweetie". Gerard wrinkled his nose but tried to be understanding. Frank had some strange attachment to this ugly thing. Trying to be gentlemanly, Gerard reached out to pet the dog before she growled herself and tried to nip him. Frank gasped in surprise.

"Sweet Pea! That's a bad girl!" He exclaimed as he got up and walked towards the bedroom door. He set the dog on the ground and closed the door, effectively barricading the two men inside. "I'm so sorry" Frank murmured as he climbed back into bed. "She doesn't like men much. She likes me just fine but she used to be abused by her old owners boyfriend and tends to get a little feisty towards men."

That made Gerard frown. He didn't like the idea of other men coming here, other men touching and holding Frank like he had. Frank noticed the sudden mood shift and looked at Gerard with a concerned look.

"I'm just not that much of a dog person" Gerard forced out, trying not to laugh at the irony. Frank sighed.

"Listen, we should probably talk about last night" Frank said while he played with a loose piece of string on his blanket, avoiding looking at Gerard's face. Gerard didn't know how to respond so he didn't as he waited for Frank to build up a little courage and continue talking.

"I don't - uh ... I don't normally do this. You know. Do this" Frank stuttered as he motioned between himself and Gerard. Gerard was trying to figure out what he was saying before Frank spoke again. "I mean, yes I've had hook ups and what not but that's not really what I'm looking for." After a moment of silence to process his words, Gerard kicked himself into action.

"Well that's good" Gerard said seductively as he pushing Frank back down to the mattress, hovering over him and moving their lips closer together. "Because that's not why I'm here" he whispered. Frank's eyes were big with hope and he so badly wanted to kiss Gerard, but he could only lay there and watch. "I want you. All of you." Gerard's fingertips grazed feather light across Frank's stomach and slowly up his chest. "Especially this" he whispered quietly against Frank's lips as his palm rested softly on Frank's chest, right above his heart.

Frank's heart beat practically doubled and his breathing quickened. He had never met someone so hell-bent on making him fall in love but Gerard was definitely trying. He couldn't help it anymore as his fingers tangled in Gerard's hair and he brought him down for a messy kiss. In the midst of a hot make out session, Frank pulled back suddenly.

"Be my boyfriend?" He panted, looking deep into Gerard's eyes. Gerard's only response was to smile and cup Frank's cheek softly as he went back in for another assault against his lips. "Just don't break my heart" Frank all but begged when Gerard moved from his lips to his neck, starting a collection of purple and red marks that would surely tell the world Frank was taken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of my favorite chapters in this book I think it’s funny Gerard having a feud with Frank’s dog 😂


	9. Chapter 9

Frank woke up later that afternoon, beyond sore. Last night was incredible but it didn't hold a candle to this morning. Frank's _boyfriend_ holding him close as Frank worked his hips furiously against Gerard's, both chasing their orgasms. And when Frank threw his head back right before he came, causing Gerard to lean forward and follow him, wanting to be as close to him as possible. They spent the rest of the day like that, cuddling, talking and making love.

But now Frank was hella sore. And he needed to actually go to work. Not that the diner was open today, it was Monday and he had one day a week closed. But he always used this day to clean, do paperwork, all the fun back office stuff that he didn't have time for during the week.

It was strange how Sweet Pea reacted to Gerard and it was even stranger how he acted back. In fact, a lot of what Gerard did was strange. This was the rabbit hole in his mind Frank found himself in at 6p that night in the diner office.

Frank always raced into relationships but for some reason, Gerard was racing too. Frank got the feeling that maybe Gerard wanted to go faster through their dating life. Frank was all for going faster, but he needed to know more about Gerard and he figured Gerard deserved to know more about him. Fishing his phone out of his jacket pocket that was draped over his chair, he decided to text Gerard.

_Frank: Hey Gee. Date?_

Butterflies erupted in his stomach at the thought of parading Gerard around town.

_Gerard: Don Antonio's. 8p. 😘_

Frank's eyes grew wide. Don Antonio's was a popular Mexican restaurant and it was always difficult to get a table. Frank suddenly had something to look forward to for the first time in a long time. He shoved his phone back into his pocket and turned back to the computer to try and get a little work done.

————————————————————————

"Reservation for Iero-Way please" Gerard spoke as he squeezed Frank's hand. The young girl who was no doubt the hostess checked something off her clipboard, grabbed two menus and smiled at the two men.

"Follow me" she said brightly. She led Frank and Gerard to a table in the corner. It was away from the majority of the crowd and quieter.

"Your server will be with you shortly" she said before walking away.

"Iero-Way?" Frank asked amused. "What, are you shipping us now?"

"What? I'm a sensitive boyfriend" Gerard smiled. "Besides, I think people would ship our first names, not our last names. Something like Gerank." Frank cracked up laughing.

"Hell no, I would be first in that equation. "Frerard all day, baby". Gerard leaned over the table and gently kissed Frank's lips.

"Whatever order it's in, as long as it's together" he said softly, making Frank blush violently. That was about the time the waiter came to take their order. Or rudely interrupted, depending on who you were asking.

"What can I get you two?" He said with a plastic smile on his face.

"Pepsi" Frank said without hesitation.

"Water, please" Gerard said a little annoyed. The waiter jotted it down and walked away.

"So, Gee. Besides the fact that I want to show off my gorgeous boyfriend, I thought we could use this time to get to know each other". Gerard tensed a little at that question. He hadn't quite worked out how to tell Frank about his ... life.

"Well ask me anything, what would you like to know" Gerard said trying to sound confident.

"Well I know about Mikey. Do you have any other siblings?"

"No. My parents have a hard time liking us most days" Gerard laughed. "What about you?"

"Only child" Frank said with a thumbs up.

"What about your parents? What do they do?" Gerard asked innocently enough, but he couldn't help but notice Frank's face fall a bit.

"They are both dead" he said quietly as he hung his head.

"Oh god, Frank I'm sorry I am such an insensitive ass I-"

"Don't be. It happened years ago, I just wish it didn't." Frank sighed.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Frank shrugged.

"There isn't much to talk about. Mom got sick and died when I was 11. Dad died in a car accident a year later. I lived with my grandparents after that until they passed away a few years back. Left me the house and the diner."

Gerard reached across the table and gently took Frank's hand in his. The waiter returned with their drinks and ready to take their orders. Gerard ordered steak tacos and Frank decided on a meatless fajita. Gerard felt like the waiter stood too closely to Frank, smiled wider at him, stared more intensely at him. But Gerard wasn't one to be deterred.

"Would you top off my boyfriends glass? Poor guy must be parched" Gerard said with a sweet smile, but he didn't miss the way the waiters smile fell a little. When he walked away, Frank hit his arm playfully.

"Jesus, Gee. Jealous much?" Gerard was surprised. He never saw himself as a jealous person but for some reason when it came to Frank, he was.

"I just didn't like him looking at you like that" Gerard defended.

"He was being perfectly pleasant" Frank responded. The pair fell into a little bit of an awkward silence before Frank spoke up.

"So, dogs. You don't like them?" Gerard nearly spit his water through his nose.

"I like dogs just fine. It's just that ugly little thing isn't a dog." Frank crossed his arms.

"Sweet Pea isn't the most beautiful dog sure but she's my best friend. And if this is going to work out, you two need to get along". Gerard sighed. That little devil dog was going to cause him all sorts of grief.

The waiter brought their food then, and both men dug in, talking casually about music and movies. Frank loved horror films while Gerard preferred sci-fi. But at least their music tastes were similar, sharing a love for the Ramones, misfits and smashing pumpkins. It was during dinner that Gerard received a text. Since one of the only people who text him was busy stuffing his face in front of him, he dug out his phone to see who was bothering him.

_Mikey: you have been gone for almost two days and mother and father are starting to get suspicious. You better be home tonight._

Gerard sighed, causing Frank to look at him confused.

"Mikey. He says my parents don't like that I haven't been home for two days" Gerard shrugged.

"What does it matter, you're 26 years old."

"My family is very ... close knit" Gerard tried to explain.

"Can I meet them?" Frank asked. The sudden inquiry causing Gerard to cough on the water he was drinking.

"I-uh I mean they aren't like great people and I-uh"

"So, no." Frank said in an almost sad tone.

"I-I didn't say that Frank, please don't take it like that it's just I don't know how they'll react".

"You mean you don't think they'll like me?" Frank said with a glimmer of anger in his eyes. He wasn't a bad guy. Sure he had a thing for tattoos and occasionally smoking pot but he was a hard worker.

"What?! No it's just I've never brought anyone home before and I don't know how they will react to that". Frank though it over for a minute before a realization hit him.

"You've never brought anyone home?" Gerard shook his head. "Have you ever dated anyone before?" Another head shake. "Don't think I'm asking this the wrong way or anything and don't be offended, but are you... well were you a virgin?"

Gerard's eyes got big but he couldn't even come up with a response to that. Fuck Frank was smart and he was putting the pieces together faster than Gerard gave him credit for. The silence was answer enough as Frank put his hand over his mouth in shock.

"I'm sorry" Gerard said quietly as he hung his head in shame. He wasn't sure why he felt embarrassed but Frank's reaction didn't look like a good one. He dig into his pocket and grabbed his wallet and pulled out a $50 bill. Tossing it to the middle of the table, Gerard turned to get up and leave before a soft warm hand grabbed his.

"Please don't leave" Frank said softly. Gerard slowly turned his head to see Frank looking at him almost frightened. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to upset you I'm just surprised. You didn't act like a virgin the other night." Gerard just continued to hang his head, some stray pieces of hair falling over his eyes. "In all honesty, Gee, I'm actually pretty honored. You shared something special with me".

Gerard looked up to see a genuine smile on Frank's face. Gerard turned his hand over to interlock fingers with Frank.

"Come meet my parents on Friday night" Gerard breathed before he could stop himself. Frank just squeezed his hand tightly.

"I'd love to."


	10. Chapter 10

Gerard crept into the pack house. Dinner with Frank was awkwardly wonderful and as badly as Gerard itched to go back home with him, he needed to see his parents. Luckily they were in a pack elders meeting and he would be able to sneak by unnoticed. Almost.

"Gerard!" Mikey whisper-yelled. "where the hell have you been?!" Gerard should have known Mikey would be up waiting for him.

"Don't worry about it Mikes. I can hold own" Gerard whispered as he turned and headed towards his room with Mikey on his heels.

"You'd better come up with a better story than that when Mother and Father start their questioning." Mikey said as he stepped into Gerard's bedroom and closed the door behind him. Gerard shed his leather jacket and and started kicking off his shoes, trying to ignore Mikey's berating.

"And you left me here to deal with them and all their questions by my self while you-" Mikey suddenly stopped talking as he narrowed his eyes on Gerard. "Gerard? Why do you smell like a human?" Mikey spoke in a low voice that made Gerard cringe a little. Gerard didn't have a response so he stayed quiet.

"Where do I know that scent from? I've - I've..." Gerard turned to see Mikey's face as he was slowly putting the puzzle pieces together. "The man from the diner!" Mikey yelled. Gerard raced over to Mikey, shushing him and hoping it wasn't loud enough to interrupt his parents gathering.

"Shh yes Mikey, ok? I've spend the last few days with Frank." Gerard sighed.

"What?!" Mikey whisper-yelled again. "Why in the world would you want to hang out with a human?!" Mikey demanded. Gerard pursed his lips as he crossed his arms.

"Gerard, you can't imprint on a human!" Mikey hissed. He didn't think Brendon was serious when he was giving Gerard a hard time about the beautiful diner owner. Gerard uncrossed his arms and relocated them to his hips as he stared Mikey down.

"Watch me" he growled as he turned and walked towards the attached bathroom.

"Well I'll be sure to say nice things at your funeral when Mother and Father fucking kill you after they learn about you imprinting on a human" Mikey called out. "Do yourself a favor and wash the Frank-stank off your body, you're stinking up the entire house" Mikey added as he stormed out of the bedroom.

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Gerard deemed himself pretty lucky that he was able to crawl under the covers after his shower and not be bothered by his parents. It was all for well considering he spent almost three hours texting Frank.

Gerard was giddy. Frank was certainly falling in love with him and Gerard was pretty confident he was falling in love with Frank. Imprinting and love are the same thing, right?

But his luck ran out the next morning when he snuck down to the kitchen to grab some breakfast and stumbled right into the dining room as his parents were eating.

"Gerard" Donald Way spoke. "Where have you been, son? We've missed you". Gerard was pretty sure they didn't miss him, they just wanted to keep a tight leash on him until he found his mate.

"Yes, Gerard, please sit and join us. Michael said you were are getting closer to finding your mate" Donna chimes in. Gerard didn't know if he should be mad or grateful for Mikey. Gerard slumped down a few chairs away from his parents as he overloaded his plate with sausage links, eggs and pancakes. Chef always made the best meals. Gerard started eating before he noticed both his parents staring at him, awaiting an answer.

"Um, possibly" Gerard cleared his throat. "I'm really trying" he concluded. That was obviously enough to please Donna as she went back to discussing pack news with Donald.

"Oh and the Toros should be arriving at some point today. Alice!" Donna called out for a maid. A young woman, no older than 15 appeared. "Prepare two guest rooms on the third floor for Mr and Mrs Toro and their son." Alice nodded in understanding and turned to leave. "I hear their son is a fine Beta. He would make a fine mate" she said aloud but Gerard knew it was directed at him. He rolled his eyes.

He hadn't seen Ray since he was 9 and they were friends. But if his parents wanted to parade him around the house in hopes their oldest son would imprint then so be it. It wasn't going to work.

Gerard finished his breakfast in record time and bolted. "Don't go too far from home, Gerard, you need to be a good host when the Toros get here" Donna called after him.

Gerard's stomach had started hurting. Like a deep ache that was progressively getting worse. He had never felt that way but decided he wanted to lay down for a bit. As he jogged up the two flights of steps, he ran into Mikey.

"Hey, Mother says we have guests coming. Wanna split?" He asked.

"Um, no actually I'm kind of looking forward to seeing Ray again. It's been a while" Mikey said as he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. Gerard wanted to pry more but his stomach was getting worse.

"Ok, wake me up when he gets here" Gerard said as he turned to run up to his room. By the time he made it, he had broken out into a cold sweat. This was so odd, wolves rarely got sick. Feeling dizzy he stumbled towards his bed just as his phone chirped, signaling a message.

_Frank: good morning babe. Wait. Is it too soon for pet names?! 😳_

Smiled and felt his stomach unclench just a little bit.

_Gerard: you can call me whatever you'd like. Handsome 😘_

Gerard flopped back onto his bed as he text back and forth with Frank. The more messages went between the pair, the higher the desire became for Gerard to run to the diner and scoop up Frank in his arms. He was pulled from his temptations by a loud rapping at his bedroom door.

"The Toro's are here" Mikey said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Frank stank I can’t 😂


	11. Chapter 11

As Gerard and Mikey neared the entryway of the house, they could hear talking and laughter. Mikey was standardly quiet and so Gerard followed suit. It was their job to portray the future pack leaders as disciplined respectful alphas. Gerard's stomach was still knotting up, but it had eased a bit. The pain had caused him to fall behind Mikey a little. Mikey's pace seemed to quicken as they neared the main floor until suddenly he stopped.

Mikey was about four steps from the landing when he abruptly stopped, causing Gerard to bump into the back of him.

"Mikey what the fu-heck?" Gerard corrected, seeing as his parents were standing right there. Mikey didn't respond, he just stared ahead like a robot. The adults seemed to notice this as well because they also stopped talking to watch. Gerard stepped around Mikey to confront him face to face when he gasped. Mikey's eyes had shifted yellow as he watched something with an intense gaze. Gerard followed his eyes until they rested on a curly haired kid who was slowly shrinking back into the wall. A typical Beta response to an Alpha.

"W-what's happening?" Gerard questioned.

"Shut up Gerard and let your brother finish imprinting!" Donna scolded.

Oh. _Oh._

Gerard slowly stepped down the last few steps and backed away from the crowd as Mikey stepped forward like a predator towards Ray. Rays animal instincts told him back up but eventually his back hit the wall and he was trapped. Mikey stepped right up to Ray's face as he looked at him like he was about to eat him. Mikey slowly turned his head until he was sniffing Ray's neck, particularly over his jugular vein.

Ray was trembling and Gerard couldn't figure out if it was fear or arousal. Licking up a long stripe up Ray's neck, Mikey growled into his ear.

"From now on, you are mine". Ray could only nod quickly

"Oh my gosh!" Donna squealed as she hugged Mrs Toro tightly. "We're going to be in-laws."

"As long as your boy takes care of him" Mr Toro spoke as she shook Donald's hand.

"You have nothing to worry about" Donald replied with a smile.

Gerard was surprised and honestly happy for his brother. But he was an opportunist and used this distraction to slip out and towards his car so he could see Frank.

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Frank wasn't the one who welcomed him when he walked into the diner. In fact it was a young woman with black pigtails and bright red lips. She took one look at Gerard and her eyes lit up.

"Good morning sir" the young woman cooed. "Table for one?"

"Actually no, I came to see the owner" Gerard spoke. The young woman's eyes cast down a little but she didn't give up.

"I'm sorry, Mr Iero doesn't just take meetings with strangers who walk in off the street". Gerard wanted to laugh.

"I'm sure he'll make an exception for me" Gerard smiled. But the young woman didn't budge an inch to retrieve Frank from his office.

"Damnit Linz, put your tits away and get Frank" an unknown voice called from the back. The woman huffed and walked away.

"Um, thank you faceless stranger" Gerard called out. Suddenly a man in a fedora appeared out of nowhere.

"No problem. Lindsey means well, she just needs to get laid. And since she shot mr down 6 months ago, her options are limited" the man laughed. "I'm Patrick by the way" he said as he stretched a hand out to Gerard. 

"Nice to meet you, I'm-"

"Gee!" A voice squealed as Frank came bounding up. Frank draped his arms around Gerard's neck, while Gerard wrapped his tightly around Frank's waist

"Wait!" Lindsey exclaimed. "I'm gone for four days and Frank finds a boyfriend?!"

"The hot guys aren't being repelled when you are out sick" Patrick pointed out, resulting in a slap on his arm from Lindsey.

"Fuck you Patrick" she murmured as she walked away to finish setting up for the day. Seeing as they were in the doorway practically hanging off each other, Frank grabbed Gerard's hand and led him back to the office.

It was small. Very small. It fit a desk and a chair and that was about it. The desk was littered with various papers, invoices and receipts. It took everything in Gerard not to throw Frank over the desk and just pound into him. Fuck Gerard had never been so easily turned on in his life but Frank made him crazy.

The moment the door was shut behind them Gerard had Frank pinned up against it as his tongue explored his mouth.

"F-fuck Gee" Frank groaned. "It's only been like 16 hours"

"16 hours too long" Gerard grumbled as his lips made their way to the spot on Frank's neck that made him arch his back and moan. It might have been the arousal or the fact that his mind was preoccupied now but the dull ache in Gerard's gut seemed to have vanished.

"G-Gee. Not here" Frank breathed out. Gerard could smell how turned on it was making Frank but he had to keep the wolf at bay. It wouldn't be cool to be walked in on by Patrick or Lindsey. Gerard reluctantly pulled away, still clutching Frank's hips like a lifeline.

"I think your waitress has the hots for me" Gerard joked breathlessly.

"I think she has the hots for me" Frank replied. "Do you know she willingly works for me for minimum wage?" Gerard chuckled.

"Who can blame her. You're gorgeous". Frank's cheeks tinted pink as he nuzzled his face into Gerard's chest trying to hide it. Suddenly Gerard's mood shifted visibly. His nose crinkled up and he furrowed his brows.

"Gee what's-" Frank was cut off by another knocking at his door.

"Frank? Bert is here" Lindsey called.

Frank and Gerard walked towards the front, Gerard keeping his arm wrapped tightly around Frank's waist.

"Ah well look, if it isn't my two best friends" Bert said with a crooked smile as Gerard internally groaned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Random Rikey ship. Oh well


	12. Chapter 12

"Bert" Gerard growled between clenched teeth.

"Come on, Gee, you don't have to be so surly" Bert smiled

"Hey Bert how are you?" Frank asked, completely oblivious to the rising tension.

"I'm good I've missed you though" he said with a smirk.

"I'm sorry. I've been busy."

"Busy?" Bert challenged. "This diner is your life, you're never too busy for that".

"He means me" Gerard interrupted. "He's been busy with me". Bert's eyebrows raised at that.

"Oh Gee, you always did try too hard, didn't you."

"Well if by 'try too hard' you mean fuck Frank until he can hardly walk then yes, I do try hard" Gerard smirked as Frank smacked his arm.

"Gerard!" Frank yelled as he blushed furiously. "That is private!"

"I just want Bert to know what you've really been up to" Gerard justified. He felt a little bubble of pride at Bert's sudden angry expression.

"But I don't! I'm not that guy to just tell the world that kind of business".

"Gerard always did have a big mouth and was an even bigger bragger" Bert interjected.

"That's not all that's big" Gerard smiled as he winked at Frank who was turning red from both embarrassment and anger.

"Oh you think so, huh?" Bert squared his shoulders as he took a step towards Gerard.

"You're just angry that I got Frank first" Gerard shot back, not even noticing that Frank had wriggled out of his grip.

"I never thought you were the kind of guy to steal, but I shouldn't be a surprised. You are a Way; infamous for stealing things that aren't yours" Bert replied coldly.

"Fuck, you guys!" Frank cried out in frustration. "Damnit! Bert, I've told you that we're friends. Friends. That's it. Gerard our business should stay our business!" Both men looked at Frank in surprise as Frank ran his fingers through his hair roughly. "Fuck I need some air. Trick, hold down the fort I'm going out for a smoke". Just as Frank turned towards the door he must have sensed Bert and Gerard's intent to follow him. "And don't you dare follow me" Frank growled.

————————————————————————

Gerard didn't understand. He didn't understand why Frank got so upset with him. He didn't understand how quickly Frank just disappeared after he walked out the door. And he definitely didn't understand why he hadn't returned yet. Bert had stormed out not long after Frank but Gerard decided to stay back and wait for him to return. Unfortunately he couldn't wait all night because it was a full moon tonight. The sun would be going down in a few hours and Gerard would have to vanish until the morning but he didn't want to do that when Frank was so upset.

Frank had been gone about two hours before Patrick came out of the kitchen and placed a hand on Gerard's shoulder.

"Don't mind Frank. He's an emotional guy. But I know he's crazy about you, I can just see it in his eyes." Gerard sighed.

"Do you know where he went?" Patrick pursed his lips like he was trying to not tell Gerard where.

"You didn't hear it from me, but he's probably at the little park downtown. It's his favorite place to be when he's worked up or upset."

Gerard instantly shot up from his chair and grabbed his coat as he practically sprinted out the door. He had no clue where the park was but the town wasn't that big, he was sure he could find it. He couldn't help but feel guilty, he never wanted Frank to be upset.

It took Gerard almost 15 minutes to locate it because when Patrick said small he meant small. It was an old metal slide and a two swing swing set. Someone was sat on one swing rocking back and forth slowly and Gerard would have sworn it was a kid except for the billows of smoke wafting above them. It was either Frank or a rebellious teenager. Gerard was willing to take that chance. Mostly because he didn't have a lot of time before the sun set.

"Frank!" Gerard called out, startling the man on the swing.

"Gerard" Frank responded in an exasperated tone. Gerard walked briskly from the car to the swing next to Frank, feeling the chains dig into his thighs as he sat down. The two just sat there for a long while, not saying anything just listening to the sounds of the wind rustling the changing leaves.

"Frank I'm sorry" Gerard started but he wasn't sure why because no, he wasn't sorry. He was proud to have Frank by his side, proud to say that Frank's body was his and his body was Frank's. But for some reason, that had upset Frank.

"No, you aren't" Frank exhaled.

"Kind of" Gerard mumbled. "I'm not sorry that you're my boyfriend and I'm not sorry that I love you. But I am sorry that what I said to Bert upset you." Frank froze.

"You-you love me? Gee we've been dating for like a week."

"What can I say, I wear my heart on my sleeve" Gerard shrugged, thoroughly impressed with his ability to think of an excuse so quickly. But as the seconds ticked by silently, he began to panic.

"Frank?" Gerard asked softly as he touched Frank's shoulder. A tear slid down Frank's cheek.

"I can't say that yet, because I'm not there yet. But I'm definitely falling Gerard I'm just so scared. I've been burned so many times. Lies and secrets and I always end up with a broken heart in the end" Frank choked out as he wiped at the tears that began falling freely down his face. Gerard hung his head. He had secrets and he was lying. Not intentionally, more to protect Frank. But he owed it to Frank to be honest.

"Come with me" Gerard said suddenly as he stood up and reached for Frank's hand.

"W-what?"

"I need to show you something. Well. Everything". Frank thought for a moment before taking Gerard's outstretched hand and letting him pull Frank to his feet.

————————————————————————

Gerard's car smelled like coffee, cigarettes and cologne and Frank loved it. It was a ridiculously nice car for a twenty-something guy; a black luxury car with leather interior. As Gerard drove, Frank couldn't help but notice the tense set to Gerard's shoulders or the whiting of his knuckles as they gripped the steering wheel.

They had been driving for about a half hour, half of that time spent on a small dirt road that wound through the woods. Frank had no clue where they were going but he trusted Gerard. After another 10 minutes, the car slowed to a stop as Gerard pulled it off the road.

"Are you sure it's safe to be out here, Gee? It's getting dark" Frank noted. Gerard didn't respond. He just grabbed Frank's hand like it was his lifeline as he lead him a ways from the car and into the woods. This may be the last time he would ever hold Frank's hand again.

"Frank I need to show you this. I could explain it but... seeing is easier. It may scare you or make you run away from me and never want to see me again. I'll answer any questions you have, if you're still around when the sun comes up..."

"Gerard? You're making me nervous. What's going on?" Gerard began undressing, turning away from a blushing Frank as he laid his clothes out neatly on a large stump near where they stood. "Gerard why the hell are you getting naked in the middle of nowhere?" Frank asked sounding almost angry. Gerard gave him a soft peck on the lips before stepping away from him completely.

"I love you Frank. Just know that. I love you and I would never hurt you." Frank was about to respond before the sun fully set and Gerard clutched his stomach in agony.

"Oh my god Gerard!" Frank exclaimed as he tried to run towards his boyfriend who was clearly in pain.

"No!" Gerard managed to shout out. "Stay back!"

Frank squeezed his eyes shut as Gerard's yells of pain gradually grew into howls. It sounded agonizing and it scared Frank. Then suddenly ... nothing. It was quiet, the only sound being a soft breeze and a distant cricket. Frank slowly opened his eyes expecting the worst. Maybe Gerard was some weird serial killer that lured all his victims out here. Maybe he was a weird nature guy that would run naked through the trees. But even the furthest parts of Frank's mind wouldn't prepare him for what he did see: a large gray wolf with piercing yellow eyes that was staring back at him.


	13. Chapter 13

Frank could have sworn he died for a split second. Or at least he was about to. Fuck. His legs felt like jelly and as badly as he wanted to run, he was frozen. Suddenly a white hot panic shot through his body and he gasped audibly. Reaching his numb shaking hands into his jacket pocket, he tried to grab his cell phone before it slipped from his fingers and disappeared into the dark brush on the ground. And because Frank Iero was an unlucky fuck, his phone landed screen down, so he couldn't even see it light up to try and find it.

"Oh fuck! Oh my god" he whispered shakily as he slowly backed up, trying not to startle the beast. The wolf was just staring at him, almost like it was waiting for something. Frank took slow calculated steps backwards until his back was pressed against the cold bark of a tree and his heart stopped. He effectively trapped himself between a fucking monster and a tree. His breathing sped up as he tried to figure out a way out of this situation.

The wolf slowly began walking up to a shaking terrified Frank. It didn't look like it was going to hurt him or eat him, but Frank wasn't stupid. This thing could hurt him if it wanted to. The animal stopped about three feet in front of Frank when it noticed him trying and failing to back away further into the trunk of the tree. Frank squeezed his eyes closed and waited for a growl or bite or whatever this thing was planning to do. Frank hadn't even noticed he had been crying until a breeze bit at his damp cheeks.

But still nothing; no noise or pain or anything. It took a lot of self motivation for Frank to convince himself to open his eyes. It was still dark, but he couldn't help but notice a large pile of fur laying on the cold forest ground. The animal tried to make itself as small as possible as it laid on the ground, trying to put Frank at ease. The wolf even whimpered softly as it stared up at Frank with wide hopeful eyes.

Frank's shaking legs were threatening to give, and he really didn't want to tumble to the ground and potentially startle this animal. Against every instinct in his body, Frank slid his back down the cold hard tree trunk until his hands felt the ground. He didn't take his eyes off the wolf once, trying to ascertain if it was feeling threatened by him or not. Once he was sat on the ground, he pulled his knees up to his chest, buried his face in his arms and let a few silent tears fall.

Hearing an odd shuffling sound, Frank looked up slowly to see the wolf slowly belly crawling towards him. The wolf wanted to be close to him, but didn't want to stand up and scare poor Frank. A weight against the top of Frank's feet signaled that the animal had rested its head there and sighed.

For now, Frank had to accept that he was essentially trapped. He wiped at the drying tear tracks on his cheeks as he let his eyes close, trying to drift away to a safe warm dreamland.

————————————————————————

When Frank woke up he was only certain of two things: it was still dark and the wolf was gone. At least not at his feet anymore. Frank took this as his chance to bolt. Unfortunately, there was no way he would make it out of the woods in one piece in the dark, so he settled for the next rational thing.

Finding Gerard's black car in near pitch black lighting wasn't fun, but didn't take nearly as long as Frank thought it would. Leaping into the drivers seat and slamming the door a little harder than he should have, he embraced the shiver of safety he suddenly felt. But that safe feeling melting into disappointment pretty quickly when he realized he didn't have keys.

"Fuck. FUCK! Gerard has the fucking keys!" Frank contemplated going back out and trying to find that tree trunk with Gerard's jeans slung over them. Maybe he could find the keys and be out of here before that beast came back. But as Frank looked back down the path from which he came, even he had to resign to the fact that he was lucky enough to find Gerard's car, he may not be lucky enough to find it a second time.

Sighing in defeat, Frank climbed over the center console and into the cramped backseat. Maybe when Gerard returned, if ever, he would think Frank ran away. Once the sun comes up he could walk out of here, or at least go find his hopefully not dead phone. Curling up into a little ball, Frank drifted off into a restless sleep, his dreams full of yellow eyes.

————————————————————————

A slamming car door jerked Frank into consciousness. Sitting up a little too fast, Frank hit his head against the back car door with a loud thud, before sitting upright completely. It was light out. Definitely early morning but he could see now. Thank god. Or maybe not thank god considering Gerard was now seated in the drivers seat, fully dressed with damp hair. He was looking straight ahead as he waited for Frank to say something, anything.

"G-Gerard" Frank whispered. "Gerard what the fu-what happened?" Gerard sighed deeply.

"Frank, I am a werewolf" Gerard stated simply. Frank wanted to laugh, or at least deny that could be true but he saw it with his own eyes. "I will answer any questions you may have but I'm sure you're more confused and shocked than anything". Frank still couldn't say anything. He had a million questions for Gerard but none of them could make their way out of his mouth.

"I'll take you home and let you absorb everything. I'm sure you're tired."

"I-I can walk" Frank croaked out.

"Frank" Gerard sighed. "It will take you hours to walk home on foot. Please let me drive you. I'll feel better knowing you are safe." Frank didn't know what his safer option was, but he knew his shitty immune system would hate that long walk home.

Frank slowly climbed out of the backseat and relocated to the front, where Gerard had started the engine and turned on the heat to remove the nippy morning air from the car. The entire drive home, Frank stared out the window trying to make sense of the last 12 hours of his life.

Pulling up to his house, Gerard hadn't even put it in park yet before Frank was sprinting from the car. Gerard wanted to follow him, hold him. But even he knew that this sort of news was baseline shocking. So with a heavy heart, he watched Frank scramble to get his front door open and slammed shut behind him.


	14. Chapter 14

Frank laid on his back in bed staring at the ceiling. He was tired, exhausted even, but the events of last night kept replaying in his mind.

_I am a werewolf_

Horse shit. Really, it couldn't be true. But Frank saw it. Maybe he was going crazy. He always had an astounding ability to attract crazy men into his life but this was the first werewolf that he knew of.

Frank rolled over, his gaze falling to his open bedroom door where Sweet Pea sat staring at him. After a minute or two, Frank whistles and patted the bed next to him to make Sweet Pea come. He needed to cuddle something. But she didn't come, in fact she turned and walked down the hallway and completely out of sight. Frank sighed. Looking over at the clock, it read 1:06p. Fuck he laid in bed for over 6 hours and didn't get a wink of sleep.

Frank sighed again, figuring he should really call Patrick and check in until he remembered. His phone was probably still in the woods. Fuck. And he just bought the damn thing so he couldn't upgrade to a new phone anytime soon without paying an astronomical amount. Double fuck.

Sighing again, Frank hauled his tired limbs off the bed and headed towards the steps. He would have to drive to the diner to check in and see how everything was going. Grabbing his keys and coat, he opened his front door to find a thick black paper bag hanging from the door handle. He hesitantly grabbed the bag and stepped back inside closing the door behind him.

Inside the bag was a box with what looked like a brand new phone. There was also a note taped to it.

I'm sorry you lost your phone. I tried to go back and find it but I couldn't. Hope this is a good replacement.

XO G

PS the cell phone guy said he preprogrammed you're old phone number to it

Frank delicately removed the phone from the box and turned it on. After a minute or two, a few text messages came in. One was from Patrick, and a few from Lindsey. But one made his eyes wide.

_Gee 💕 - I love you._

Frank didn't know what to think. He still hadn't quite processed Gerard and his werewolf side. Frank remembered it was Wednesday. Gerard asked Frank to meet his parents on Friday. Fuck. Frank slid the phone in his pocket and walked back out the door towards his car.

————————————————————————

"Holy shit Frank, you look rough" Patrick noticed as he watched Frank stumble in. "Gerard must have been pounding that ass good". Frank shook his head as he blushed. He couldn't even find the words to respond with.

"Pat is right. Sleep is your friend, you know" Lindsey added as she placed her hand on Frank's shoulder. Frank just shook his head and walked to his office, closing the door softly. Walking towards his desk, he slumped down into the chair, purely exhausted.

————————————————————————

After Gerard dropped off the new phone at Frank's house, he headed straight home. He knew he needed to give Frank some space but his wolf itched to hold the young man so badly.

Gerard didn't care about sneaking in to avoid his parents, they were out with the Toro's anyway. After slamming the door harder then he intended, Gerard stomped up too flights of steps. He was halfway down the hall towards his room when he started hearing noises. Grunts and quick breathes that sounded almost muffled. Gerard squeezed his eyes shut as he willed the noises to be almost anything else but reality hit him like a truck. The noises were coming from the room across the hall. Mikey's room. Mikey and Ray. Oh my god.

"Ew" Gerard murmured as he slammed his bedroom door shut and flopped his body across the bed. Thank god either the noises stopped or he couldn't hear them through his door. He didn't like the idea of his baby brother doing that.

Gerard laid in bed only for a few minutes before he became restless and started pacing. After that proved to be worthless, Gerard found himself two hours later in the 3rd floor library dusting. It seemed to be the most effective task to take his mind off Frank and the stomach pain that was slowly getting worse and worse.

Gerard's heart leapt through his chest when he heard the familiar ping of an incoming text on his phone. He ran towards his phone that he left on the coffee table so quickly he swore he had broken a world record in sprinting. He quickly unlocked the phone to see who it was from.

_Frankie💗: downtown park. one hour._

Gerard squealed like a teenage girl. He had a chance! If Frank was truly terrified he would have block Gerard's number and moved on with his life. But he didn't, he text back less than 24hrs later.

Gerard quickly put away his dusting supplies and headed for his bedroom to grab his converses and leather jacket. Just as he turned to walk out into the hall, Mikey blocked his path.

"Jesus Mikes, you scared me" Gerard tries to laugh off.

"Are you going to see Frank?" Mikey asked monotone. His face was, as usual, void of any emotion.

"I-uh-yeah that was the plan".

"I wanted to talk to you about that" Mikey said as he clutched both sides of the doorframe, effectively blocking Gerard inside. Gerard sighed in frustration.

"Listen Mikey I get it. You don't like Frank and his human-ness and you think I'm throwing everything away. I fucking get it" Gerard said bitterly as he sat on the edge of his bed and put his face in his hands. Mikey was quiet for a few long moments before he spoke again.

"A few days ago, yes that's what I would have said. But not now." Mikey moved closer to Gerard and sat at his desk chair to be eye level with him. "Now I have Ray. I have a mate. And the thought of leaving him for any amount of time makes my heart hurt and my stomach ache."

Gerard slowly lifted his head as he locked eyes with his brother, looking for any sign of deception but as usual, Mikey was nothing but genuine with his words.

"Is Frank your mate, Gerard?" Gerard nodded his head.

"Yes" he whispered.

"Then be with him. Don't let him go. I'll defend you with mother and father, just go" Mikey said as he gently rested his hand on Gerard's shoulder.

"Really?"

"Yes Gerard. Go be with your mate. We can sort out the rest later". Gerard leaped up and wrapped Mikey in his arms. If he appreciated anyone's approval, it was Mikey's.

"You know" Gerard started as he pulled back to look at Mikey, "I truly am happy for you. And Ray." Mikey blushed a little. With Ray he was a dominant alpha but with Gerard he would always be a geeky little brother.

"Thanks Gee"

"Just don't fuck each other when I'm around" Gerard laughed as he raced towards the door.

"No promises!" Mikey called out after him.


	15. Chapter 15

Gerard sped towards the direction of the park. Frank's park. The one Gerard confessed his love to the tattooed man at. During the whole drive, Gerard went through every possible scenario in his head with how this was going to go. Would Frank break things off? Would he pretend like it was a bad dream? Was he setting up Gerard to be arrested or worse, attacked?

Gerard recognized Frank's car parked near the edge of the lush green lot that held the park. Gerard pulled up behind his car and gingerly got out, shutting the door softly. For some reason, he was very concerned about spooking Frank.

Frank had his back to Gerard as he sat on the swing set smoking. Gerard wanted to chuckle because once again, he looked like a rebellious teen causing trouble at a local park. To avoid startling Frank, Gerard slowly walked up behind him and took the swing to the right. Frank didn't look up or flinch or anything, he just stared straight ahead and exhaled heavily.

The two sat in silence for several minutes, the only sounds being rustling leaves and the soft clinking of the chains on the swings. Gerard turned his head slightly to catch a glimpse at Frank and his heart ached. Frank looked exhausted and almost like he was waging an internal battle with himself.

"Why me?" Frank finally spoke without looking at Gerard. Gerard was surprised being they hadn't said a word in what seemed like an hour. Frank finally turned to look him right in the eye. "Why me, Gerard? Why pick me?"

"I didn't pick you" Gerard said slowly. "The goddess did". Frank scoffed.

"What goddess?"

"My goddess. The goddess of my people, my own kind." Frank narrowed his eyes in scrutiny.

"What do you mean she picked me?" Gerard sighed.

"Frank, in our world you don't fall in love or date or anything like that. We believe the Goddess has predetermined everyone's mates and you find them when the time is right". Frank still looked skeptical. "You are my mate, Frank" he added.

Frank stood up and flicked his cigarette to the ground, stomping it to put out the light before he began pacing back and forth.

"I'm human!" Frank finally cried. "I don't have mates. You date until you find someone you feel like you can deal with for the rest of your life then you settle down. There is no crazy moment, no chest lurching feeling. I'm sorry but I'm human, you need to find a mate from your own kind."

"It doesn't work like that" Gerard breathed as he stood up. "We get one mate. It's rare for it to be a human but not impossible."

"But what happens if we break up? What happens if I decide I can't deal with this craziness and I want out?"

"You're my mate Frank" Gerard said again. "If you wanted out I would let you go but I don't get another mate. Not unless you..." Gerard trailed off.

"Unless what?"

"Unless you die. Humans deal with love, we deal with fate. You can fall in and out of love but fate is destined. Fate is cemented."

"So you're saying you can only love me?" Frank squeaked in surprise. Gerard nodded.

"But I'm human, we can fall out of love. I don't want to fall out of love with you" Frank spoke quietly, making both men freeze at the words. Gerard slowly raised his gaze to meet Frank's as he blushed.

"I don't want to fall out of love with you" Frank spoke louder. Gerard swore his stomach was in his throat.

"Does... does that mean.."

"Yes" Frank whispered as a small tear slid down his face. "I love you Gerard". Gerard moved before his brain could react as he scooped up Frank in his arms and pulled him in for a bruising kiss. Frank smiled and kissed back instantly. The two men held each other as tightly as they could.

"The thought of losing my feelings scares me as much as the feelings themselves" Frank said shakily as he nuzzled his face into Gerard's chest. Gerard only hugged him tighter. The two men embraced each other for several minutes before Frank broke the silence again.

"Bite me."

"What?" Gerard pulled away confused.

"I've seen my share of shitty werewolf movies, and I know you change when you get bit. Bite, me, Gerard" Frank even tilted his head to expose his scorpion tattoo. Gerard couldn't help himself as he learned over and placed gentle kisses against the skin, causing Frank to shiver. "Why aren't you biting me?" Frank breathed out.

"It-it isn't that simple Frank" Gerard said as he pulled back again to look into his eyes.

"Please just try, just bite me" Frank pleaded.

"Frank, I'm not a fucking vampire" Gerard responded as he tried not to chuckle.

"Why wouldn't it work?" Frank huffed.

"Humans can be turned but it isn't as simple as a bite. There is more to it."

"How much more?" Gerard could only shrug. How to turn a human wasn't presented to wolves as common knowledge, packs didn't like to have too many human-turned-wolves in their realms.

"I don't know. I've never needed to know. They don't teach us stuff like that". Gerard looked into Frank's pleading eyes. He tried to invision Frank as a Way-pack wolf. He would most definitely be beautiful and graceful. Gerard was so lost in his thoughts that he was only pulled out by a gentle voice whispering _Gee_ as a hand nudged him. Suddenly Gerard was grabbing Frank's hand and dragging him towards his car. The action caused Frank to stumble a bit over his own feet before matching Gerard's ridiculous stride.

"W-where are we going?" Frank panted.

"To see someone that will know how to change you" Gerard said as he all but shoved Frank into the passenger seat. Gerard practically hurdled the hood of the car as he climbed into the drivers seat, started the engine and turned the car towards a familiar direction. He needed answers and he knew one person who would have them: Grandma Helena.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so do I know that the Way's grandmothers name is Elena? I do. Do I care? Not for the sake of this fic lol. I love the song Helena so I wanted this grandmother to be named after that. Just in case you were wondering.


	16. Chapter 16

Helena could smell Gerard minutes before she heard his car pull up, but the scent that accompanied him was unfamiliar. She froze momentarily to assess the danger before Gerard's scent got stronger. He didn't smell like he was frightened so she must be safe as well. She smiled softly as she headed towards the kitchen and started a pot of coffee.

Helena had pulled out three white coffee mugs from the cupboard just as she heard the side door to the kitchen open.

"Well aren't I lucky" she called out without turning around. "I get to see one of my favorite grandsons twice this week".

"Hi Grandma" Gerard said, but Helena couldn't miss the sound of a smile in his voice. She turned around to see Gerard beaming down at a shorter, terrified looking man who held Gerard's hand like a lifeline.

"Oh, hello" she smiled warmly at Frank, trying to put him at ease.

"Frank, this is my Grandmother Helena. Grandma, this is Frank." Helena smiled widely as she reached forward to shake Frank's hand. He was trembling but she didn't mention it.

"It's wonderful to meet you. You make our Gerard so happy" Helena said as Frank blushed.

"I-its nice to meet you too" Frank replied as he tried to keep his voice as steady as possible.

"What brings you both here?" Helena said as she looked back at Gerard before turning to the counter to fill the coffee mugs.

"We need to talk to you" Gerard responded as him and Frank took seats at the dining room table. Helena returned with three steaming cups and set them down as she took a seat across the couple.

"I'm all ears" she said as she grabbed her mug and took a sip.

"We need to know about ... turning a human. Turning Frank to be more specific." Helena froze as she gazed a Gerard over the top of her mug. After a moment of silence she set the mug gently on the table.

"That's a pretty serious topic, Gerard" she spoke. "You have to be 100% certain that's what you want" she turned to Frank.

"It is" he said softly. "I know Gerard is bonded to me but I'm not to him and I want to be." Helena sighed.

"You both realize I could get into a lot of trouble for telling you this"

"But you're a pack elder" Gerard said.

"That doesn't mean I'm above the law."

"There's a law about turning humans?" Gerard said surprised.

"There is a law about turning an unwilling human" Helena clarified.

"I'm willing" Frank interrupted. Helena sighed again.

"There is only one day a year that a human can be turned; on the first full moon after their birthday. They must be bitten by their mate and the new wolf must be knotted during that first change." Gerard blushed as Frank turned to him confused.

"I'll tell you later" Gerard whispered.

"When is your birthday, Frank?" Helena asked.

"October 31st"

"So you have until then to be sure this is what you want" Helena said.

"But I thought you said first full moon after my birthday?" Frank asked.

"I should clarify. The full moon starts on your birthday but ends on November 1st. You would only have about a five hour window to complete the change."

"That's in two weeks" Gerard added and Helena nodded.

"Gerard make sure he understands the pack rules before you decide to change. Once you go there, you can't come back."

They sat in silence for a few moments before Gerard decided to change the subject. The three of them made small talk and sipped on their coffee before deciding they should head back. Helena hugged each man tightly and left a kiss on the top of both of their heads before they left. Climbing back into Gerard's car, they headed back to the park where Frank's car was parked.

————————————————————————

The couple were laid in the grass as the sun was setting. Frank was asking questions as Gerard answered them, wanting to be as transparent as possible.

"So what's the deal with the full moon". Gerard chuckled.

"We can change back and forth from our wolf form at will except during full moons. Those nights we are required to stay shifted until the sun rises again."

"So you could change right now?" Frank asked excitedly. "What about your free will? Are you still Gerard even when you... aren't Gerard?"

"Well yes" Gerard chuckled again. "You are still you and you can still make all the same choices you normally would. I don't turn into a brainless beast"

"What about, what did she say, knotting. What is knotting?" Franks question was innocent enough but it still made Gerard blush.

"Well that's how wolves mate" Gerard said simply and Frank furrowed his brows.

"But we've had sex before"

"Well yes but this is different." Gerard exhaled deeply. "When mates are ... mating in wolf form their anatomy is somewhat similar yet somewhat different. The alphas .... penis grows substantially in size and it ... locks the mates together. It's called true mating.” Gerard was blushing like crazy as he explained it. 

"B-but that's never happened before" Frank replied.

"Well no, we've only ever had sex in human form" Gerard shrugged.

"Sounds painful" Frank added.

"Just like the alphas anatomy changes, the beta or omegas anatomy is changed slightly as well to ... accommodate the changing size." Now Frank was blushing.

"I can honestly say I never thought I would have such an in-depth discussion about wolf sex" Frank joked and Gerard giggled.

"Oh yeah? Try learning about it in school surrounded but 20 other little wolves" Gerard shuddered.

"I assume you're an alpha" Frank smirked. Gerard smiled wide and puffed out his chest a little.

"All natural born Ways are alphas."

"What would I be?" Frank wondered aloud.

"It's up to the Goddess after you change. Because it's not a natural title, She gives you one based on your personality and compassion. Usually from what I've read, humans that are changed are almost always omegas."

"Aren't those the lowest?" Frank asked.

"They are generally the weakest and have the lowest power and influence. Wolves can change classes but it's tough." Frank was a little bummed he couldn't be an alpha too. He was certainly a manly man.

"Two alphas can't be mates, Frank" Gerard said, practically reading Frank's mind.

"Holy shit can you read my thoughts?!" Frank exclaimed. Gerard laughed.

"No of course not but your face usually gives your thoughts away." The pair fell into a brief silence as they held hands.

"So" Frank said as he decided to change the subject. "Am I still on for dinner at your parents house tomorrow night?" Gerard smiled widely.

"Absolutely. You can meet Mikey's new mate, he just imprinted recently. To a male wolf, actually". Frank smiled.

"Come back to my place with me? T-to help me pick an outfit" Frank added with a little blush tinting his cheeks. Gerard's smile turned into a smirk.

"Sure thing, baby".


	17. Chapter 17

"Fuck" Frank cried as he threw his head back and bounced furiously on Gerard's thick cock. Gerard had come over to pick Frank up and take him back to his parents for dinner that night but the pair got a little ... sidetracked. Even after Gerard stayed last night and kept Frank moaning and panting into the early hours of the morning. They couldn't seem to keep their hands off each other yet neither man was complaining.

"Come on, baby" Gerard grunted as he snapped his hips up to match Frank's rhythm. He could feel Frank was close, could feel his hole quivering and his walls clenching. Gerard was getting there too but he wanted to hold off for Frank. There was something so hot about the tattooed man coming undone on Gerard's arms that always threw him over the edge.

After a few more bounces and one loud erotic moan, Frank came completely untouched on Gerard's stomach.

"Fuck" Gerard breathed as his clutch on Frank's hips tightened and he began thrusting upwards roughly. It took only a few more moments before Gerard joined Frank in his post coital bliss.

"Is wolf mating this good?" Frank asked as he tried to catch his breath.

"I wouldn't know" Gerard panted. "But I can't wait to find out". Frank smiled and leaned forward to catch Gerard in a sweet tender kiss before he rolled off and onto his back.

"Fuck" Gerard groaned as he looked at the alarm clock sitting next to the bed, reflecting that they were now indeed late. "My parents are going to be pissed".

Frank climbed out of bed and headed to the bathroom to clean up as Gerard tried to will his limbs to move. He couldn't give a damn about the fact that they were late because Frank wanted to ride him, but he really didn't want to explain that to his parents.

"Are they going to like me, Gee?" Frank called out in a muffled tone as he was brushing his teeth. Gerard shuttered because he knew it was very unlikely his parents would be approving of Frank, and he worried that would break the poor man's heart.

"Even if they don't, you'll still have me and Mikey" Gerard tried to reply in a joking tone but it was more true then he wanted to let on.

Frank walked out of the bathroom just then, completely naked, as he headed towards his dresser.

"Awe you know it's selfish to cover that gorgeous body" Gerard smirked as he finally found the will to climb out of bed.

"Oh sure. 'Nice to meet you Mr and Mrs Way, don't mind my half hard cock you just have a really hot son'" Frank joked sarcastically as he pulled on a pair of gray boxers.

"Oh baby" Gerard cooed. "You would hide a semi in front of my parents just for me?" Frank blushed.

"Come on, idiot, get dressed" Frank waved as he grabbed a pair of jeans from his drawer.

————————————————————————

Gerard was shaking more than Frank, which surprised them both.

"I'm sure things will go fine, baby" Frank tried to say in a soothing tone but Gerard knew better. He knew this was about to kick off something nasty. But the sooner it started, the sooner his parents would eventually accept Frank. Gerard didn't know how to respond so he just squeezed Frank's hand. As they pulled up to the large house, Gerard shut off the engine and waited.

"Frank?"

"Yes?"

"No matter what happens, remember that I love you, okay?" Gerard pleaded.

"Jesus you sound like you're going off to war" Frank laughed.

"My parents don't know about ... well that you're a human. They aren't particularly fond of humans."

"But won't they smell me?" Frank asked.

"Well yes but they don't interact with humans so it may take them a little bit of time to put the pieces together. By then I'm sure they'll adore you like I do" Gerard said with a forced smile as he leaned forward to leave a chaste kiss on Frank's lips.

As they approached the steps to the pack house, Frank was in awe. He had never seen a house this big before.

"T-this is where you live?" He gasped.

"It's the pack house" Gerard explained. "Quite a few people live here besides us."

Gerard led Frank through the large dark wooden doors and into the entryway. Two large staircases wound up on either side of the house. There were people walking and children running as they continued to walk through to a large set of double doors. Gerard stopped for a minute and took a deep breath before pushing them both open.

Four people were sat at the table. Frank recognized Mikey who was huddled suspiciously close to a curly headed man. To his right was an older looking woman and at the head of the table sat a man who looked a lot like Gerard and Mikey. Two additional place settings were set on the other side.

All four people stopped their conversation to glance at the pair that had just joined them.

"Gerard, I thought you had forgotten" the woman spoke as she stood up, the older man following suit.

"My apologies, Mother. The drive took longer than I anticipated" Gerard said as he squeezed Frank's hand knowingly. Frank tried hard to keep the blush that was creeping up his cheeks.

"Well no matter. Let me meet this guest of yours" she said with a smile.

"Mother, Father. This is Frank. Frank, this is my parents."

Mrs Way wrapped her bony arms around Frank's neck and pulled him in for a hug briefly before pulling back with her nose crinkled. She still sent Frank a warm friendly smile. Mr Way reached a strong hand out and shook Frank's.

"It's lovely to meet you, dear" Mrs Way said.

"Certainly. We were just wondering when our Gerard would settle down." Mr Way added.

"And you remember my baby brother Mikey" Gerard said pointing to the lanky kid in glasses who waved awkwardly. "And that's his mate Ray." The curly haired man smiled widely at Frank.

"Nice to meet you all" Frank spoke confidentially but Gerard couldn't miss the slight fearful tone it held. Hell, he could practically hear the poor man's heart beating out of his chest.

"Enough of this. Frank, Gerard, please sit and join us for dinner." Mrs Way gestured as she and Mr Way made their way back to their seats. Once the couple sat down, a saloon style door was opened as several housekeepers began bringing in plates and platters overflowing with food.


	18. Chapter 18

Frank was overwhelmed with the amount of food that was brought out for just the four of them. Steaks, burgers, pork chops, a lot of food Frank couldn't eat.

"That lasagna" Gerard whispered "it's veggie lasagna." Frank smiled at him in relief as he dished himself a rather large helping.

"So tell us Frank, what do you do?" Mrs Way prodded. Frank had just shoved a forkful of food into his mouth so he chewed quickly and swallowed before answering.

"I own a diner" he stated simply.

"Ah, a business man. I can relate" Mr Way boasted.

"May I ask, what do you do Mr Way?" Frank flipped the conversation. His curiosity of how this man had so much money was eating him alive.

"I'm in stocks and bonds. When my father passed away he left me a tidy sum that I've been able to build and grow. I need to keep these sons of mine well fed and dressed" Mr Way smiled.

"Where is your diner located, dear?" Mrs Way inquired.

"Ma, please can you interrogate Ray for a while?" Gerard butt in trying to steer the conversation away. He worried too much information will tip off Frank's human status.

"Oh Gerard be quiet. We know everything about Raymond but we need to know more about this Frank" Mrs Way waved off. "Can I at least know how you two met?"

"Um, I waited on them" Frank said quietly, causing Mr and Mrs Way to look at each other confused.

"He means we ran into him and just hit it off" Gerard tried to clarify.

"What are your hobbies?" Ray inquired.

"Um, the diner takes up quite a bit of my time but I enjoy reading. And playing guitar."

"Oh cool! I play too. We should jam sometime" Ray smiled.

"Absolutely, man. Next time I come." Frank replied before taking another bite.

"So when are you moving in dear?" Mrs Way interjected causing Frank to start coughing on his food.

"I beg your pardon?" Frank asked.

"Move in. From what Gerard says, you two are mates so you should be planning to move in soon."

"Uh... wow okay, uh well we haven't really been together that long and I uh don't really think I'm ready for that." Mr Way chuckled.

"Imprinting means your plenty ready" he added. The group fell into a moderately awkward silence until Mr Way laid his fork down with his gaze fixed on Frank. Gerard watched his eyes go yellow, then wide as he suddenly pushed the chair out.

"A human?!" Mr Way boomed. "You brought a human into our home?!" Frank jumped at the sudden exclamation. Gerard on the other hand knew it was coming. "Donna your son brought this... this human!"

Mrs Way looked back and forth between her husband and Gerard. Suddenly Mr Way was moving around the table quickly, making his way towards Frank.

"You are leaving right now, boy" he snarled before Gerard stood up too, effectively blocking Mr Way's path.

"You should know better then to touch an alphas mate" Gerard growled.

"He isn't your mate, Gerard, and you are sending him back to where he came from."

"Frank is my life" Gerard stated simply.

"The one thing! The one thing I asked you was don't imprint on a human!" Mr Way cried.

"You know that isn't up to me" Gerard argued. "Besides, he won't be a human for too much longer. Frank has decided to be changed."

The entire room went deathly silent. Frank was paler than a ghost and Mikey was trying to calculate his father and brothers next moves.

"What did you say?" Mr Way whispered.

"Frank will be a wolf. A Way pack wolf in a few short weeks" Gerard boasted proudly.

"That boy" Mr Way snarled "will never be a wolf, he will only be a half-blood at best. And I'll be damned if the next leader of this pack has a half-blood as his mate."

The words were stingingly painful but Frank seemed to understand that 'half-blood' was a slur. Standing up on quivering legs, he spoke.

"I apologize, Mr Way, I don't mean to be disrespectful in your home or at your table but I'm a good person. I've had to work hard for everything that I have. My parents and grandparents are dead and I've had to make due with the situations I was given. I may never be a full blooded wolf, but shame on you for looking down your nose at me." Tears began to sting his eyes and he knew he needed to leave. "Excuse me, I'll let myself out. Thank you for the meal."

Frank had no clue which direction he was going and honestly he couldn't remember the way our but he wandered through the corridors anyway. Surprisingly they were empty, void of the groups of people that were there only a half hour earlier. It took almost 20 minutes to find the front door but Frank breathed a sigh of relief when he did.

"Frank!" Gerard called as Frank tugged the door open.

"Please Gerard just break up with me after you drop me off at home. I don't have cash to pay a taxi from this far out" Frank said as he wiped his eyes.

"Oh god that's the last thing I want to do. Can you please just stop and talk to me for a second?" Gerard chases after Frank who instantly stopped and twirled around.

"They hate me. Your parents hate me. And not because I'm a shitty person or because I'm covered in tattoos or smoke or anything. It's because I'm human. And even though your grandma says I can change that, it wouldn't be enough."

"Frank they'll come around, I promise" Gerard said softly as he wiped a stray tear from Frank's cheek.

"How do you know?"

"Because they're my parents. And if they don't then I'll abdicate my birth right and live my life with you."

"No, Gerard don't you dare do that. You're going to lead the pack someday."

"And you'll be by my side when I do" Gerard whispered as he cupped Frank's cheeks. Frank could only respond with a choked out sob so Gerard pressed their lips together softly.

"They'll come around" he whispered again.


	19. Chapter 19

Frank was having trouble keeping his eyes open as he refilled napkin containers. Gerard stayed with him last night, holding him close as Frank cried his heart out until he passed out from pure exhaustion. Sweet Pea growled at both of them when they walked in. She hid under the couch, refusing to come out. Frank didn't have the energy to try and coax her out so he just kicked his shoes off and slumped towards his bedroom. 

It was the first time Gerard stayed the night and didn't try to have sex with him. Frank could tell he wanted to, his body was practically thumbing with need. Yet Gerard only held him close, pet his hair and lightly caressed his arms and chest.

That morning, the pair found themselves in an argument over whether Frank should work or not. Gerard could tell he was exhausted and preferred Frank stayed home with him to rest. But Frank's stubborn ass insisted he work and now he was slightly regretting it. It was menial work that he could have forced Lindsey to do, but figured he could use a little time out of his head.

"Well hey stranger" a smooth voice danced through the quiet dining room. Frank looked up from his tasks to see Bert leaning against a table.

"Hi Bert" Frank said.

"It's been a little while since I've seen you. How have you been?"

"I'm alright" Frank responded automatically before his thoughts went to his werewolf boyfriend and his disapproving parents. Fuck he wasn't alright at all. Suddenly Frank dropped a stack of napkins, sending them lightly falling across the floor. "Fuck" he whispered as he bent over to begin gathering them up.

"Let me help you" Bert spoke as he walked up and crouched down next to Frank. The pair was close, a little too close Frank thought. Bert kept glancing up at him and letting his gaze linger and it was starting to make Frank uncomfortable. When all the stray napkins were collected, both men stood back up.

"Um, thanks" Frank said as he reached out to grab the napkins in Bert's hands yet his grip on them tightened.

"It's no problem" he said seductively. "You know id do anything for you". Frank gave him a half hearted smile.

"So" Bert continued. "This little play time with Gerard, don't you think it's gone on long enough? Don't you think it's time for him to go?" Frank furrowed his brows.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he can't possibly treat you the way you deserve; the way I could. He can't protect you the way I can. Hell he can't even love you the way I can" Bert spoke gravely as he moved closer and closer to Frank, causing the shorter man to slowly start backing up until his back pressed up against a wall.

"W-what are you saying, Bert?" Frank stuttered. Bert chuckled quietly as his nose was centimeters away from Frank's.

"I'm saying that I love you. I have for a while." He said softly. Before Frank could even respond Bert had pressed his body against Frank's as their lips connected. Frank definitely didn't return the action and even though it took a second or two to wiggle his hands up, he was finally able to shove Bert away.

"Bert!" Frank exclaimed with flushed cheeks.

"I'm sorry Frank, I've just waited so long to finally do that".

"Bert I'm sorry but I love Gerard." Bert slowly started backing Frank back against the wall.

"You can't possibly love him. You like him, sure. But it's not love."

"Oh I promise you it is" Frank retorted as his anger started rising.

"I know you know Gerard's secret. You should know he isn't the only creature of the night around here." Frank's eyes grew wide.

"Y-you mean..."

"I'm a werewolf too. A much stronger alpha. And I always get what I want" Bert said as he traced his index finger across Frank's cheekbone.

"Not this time" Frank growled, making Bert smile.

"We'll see." Bert pulled away and walked out of the diner without another word. Frank stood there in shock, mostly that he's been closer to werewolves than he ever knew before. After deciding that stuffing napkins into the holders wasn't worth it, he tossed them onto the table and turned to leave. Frank text Patrick telling him he was closing the diner for the night and heading home.

As Frank walked in the door, he was surprised with a pleasant smell of coffee and pancakes. A smile spread across his face at the thought of Gerard doing something nice just to cheer him up. Just as he suspected, as he rounded the corner into the kitchen, Gerard was there listening to music softly and flipping pancakes.

"I gotta say you will very unlikely be able to sneak up on me with my keen sense of hearing" Gerard spoke without even turning around. Frank smiled.

"I was just too tired to stay at work. And now I'm even more glad I came home because my handsome boyfriend is making an early dinner."

Gerard piled a huge tower of steaming pancakes onto a plate and signaled for Frank to sit at the table. After sitting the plate down in front of him, Gerard froze. The sudden cease of movement confused Frank but that confusion quickly turned to apprehension when he saw Gerard's eyes glowing yellow.

"Gee? What's wrong" he asked carefully.

"Frank? Did you let another alpha touch you?"


	20. Chapter 20

Frank winced at the tone Gerard used and it sent a shiver down his spine.

"I-I wouldn't s-say I let him" Frank stuttered before squeaking in surprise as Gerard roughly grabbed his wrist and brought it up to his nose, a low growl rumbling in his chest as his thoughts were confirmed. This was another alphas scent there, alright.

"Who" Gerard growled as he tightened his grip on Frank's wrist.

"I-I was working and B-Bert he came in and-" Frank's stuttering was cut off my Gerard practically throwing Frank's arm back to the table as he sprinted out of the room. After a moment or two of shock, Frank stood up and ran after Gerard.

"Gerard, where are you going?" Frank called as he found him near the door aggressively pulling his leather jacket on.

"I'm going to fucking kill him! He knows better than to touch another alphas mate" Gerard barked. Frank positioned himself between a furious Gerard and the front door, holding his hands up and trying to calm him down.

"Now you cant do that Gerard, you'll start a war that your family is not ready for" Frank spoke calmly as Gerard began pacing back and forth in the entryway. "Let's just calm down and go back and eat some food before Sweet Pea decides its all hers". Frank reached out to touch Gerard's shoulder, but the unsuspecting touch sent Gerard into fight mode. Before either man could blink, Gerard had picked Frank up and threw him against the door, causing several picture frames down the hall to fall. Gerard kept him pinned there, growing until a strong scent wafted through his nose. Fear. His eyes softened a bit as he internally pulled the wolf away from his mind. Frank looked terrified and was shaking as Gerard kept him pinned to the door.

"Gerard" Frank whispered. "This isn't you. This is the wolf. Please. Please gain control again before something bad happens". Gerard blinked a few times as his grip loosened enough to slowly lower Frank back to the ground. He took a step back from Frank as he slowly realized what he had done.

"Frank... I-I'm" Gerard was stunned into silence as Frank turned without a word and walked down the hallway to begin picking up what was knocked off the wall. His little body was shaking in fear. Frank sighed in defeat when he saw the wedding picture of his grandparents on the floor. The glass had cracked and the frame was broken.

"I'll buy you a new frame" Gerard said quietly as he began helping Frank pick up the pieces.

"That's not the point" Frank groaned as he stood back up and walked back into the dining room, placing broken frame pieces onto the table.

"But you're upset" Gerard noted as he followed behind Frank.

"I'm upset because you just threw my fucking body against my front door" Frank yelled louder than he intended but his fear was steadily turning towards anger. "My ex Bob started getting violent towards the end of our relationship. That's why he isn't around anymore." Gerard visibly flinched at the mention of not only an ex but a violent ex. "I know I'm worth more than that" Frank's voice grew quieter with each word. Gerard hung his head, ashamed. He didn't understand, he was always able to keep the wolf under control but the thought of Bert touching Frank sent a white hot rage through his system.

"Just-Just please don't. Never again. No matter how much I love you, I love me more. And I won't put up with that" Frank spoke up. Gerard could only nod a little and sat down as Frank gingerly pulled photos from the broken frames.

————————————————————————

"What are we going to do about your son?" Donald sighed as he slumped into the chair in his office. Donna sat across from him on a couch in the room, flipping through some pack files.

"You mean our son" she corrected without looking up.

"Look at Michael. We couldn't have imagined him imprinting on a more perfect mate. We know him, know his family."

"Don" Donna sighed. Out of the entire pack, she was the only one who could challenge the pack alphas thoughts and ideas. It was a perk of being the pack Luna. "This isn't a perfect situation but our boys are both happy and with mates. And this Frank seems like he could be a nice boy."

"What will happen to the Way name? Neither of our sons mates are capable of producing a pack heir" Donald whined.

"You know there are ways around that. In fact I believe your great grandfathers used a surrogate to continue the Way bloodline" Donna replied with her eyebrows raised.

"Do you think Frank is willing to be changed? Trying to protect a human is a lot of work".

"He seemed receptive to the idea, and that's a start." Donald groaned as he began massaging his temples to offset the tension headache that was starting.

"If we push Gerard away he will disappear. He will give up his alpha crown and run away with this human and we'll never see him again. I won't let that happen. We all just need time" Donna said gently as she got up and walked around the large desk to rest her hand on her husbands shoulder.

"Why are you always right?" Donald sighed as he looked up at his wife and rested his hands gently on her hips.

"It's my job" she smiled as she bent down and left a soft kiss on his lips.


	21. Chapter 21

It had been an hour since Frank left for work that morning, and Gerard sat around deep in thought. Last night he had gone too far. He nearly shred Frank to pieces over something someone else did and that guilt was sitting heavily in his gut.

The rest of the evening went by relatively tense. Frank and Gerard didn't speak much and Gerard was afraid to do even the simplest touches like holding hands. It wasn't until Frank was getting ready for bed and Gerard decided he should head home that the tension broke.

"Don't leave. Not like this. Would you just ... I don't know, would you hold me?" Frank all but pleaded, causing Gerard to kick off the shoes he had just put on. That night, Gerard kept a protective clutch around Frank while both men slept.

Gerard needed to make things up to Frank. He thought about buying hundreds of roses and filling the house with them for Frank to find. Frank would like that, he was a hopeless romantic. But he can't just go and keep buying gifts to make Frank happy again. He needed more. Needed a grand gesture. Gerard sighed.

Suddenly the phone in his pocket chirped, and it took about three seconds to fish it out.

Mikey: don't forget - pack dinner. TONIGHT.

Gerard crinkled his nose when he remembered tonight was the monthly pack meal. Everyone gets together in the grand hall to share a meal and talk about any news that the pack should know. It was no question that Mr Way would be announcing Mikey's mate but Gerard felt his anger slowly start to rise when he assumed Mr Way would ignore news about Frank. Then the idea stuck him and he smiled widely like a chestershire cat. He would bring Frank and make the announcement himself.

————————————————————————

"Gee, that really didn't go well last time, did it?" Frank said as he walked around Gerard to grab a few plates in the pick up window for a table. Surprisingly they were busy today and while Frank loved when Gerard would visit, he couldn't have picked a worst time.

"I know that but this isn't a meal with just my parents, this is with the whole pack."

"Exactly my point. I get the judgement times, what, a hundred?" Frank countered.

"Not everyone in the pack is like my parents. In fact I think everyone would be really excited to meet their future Luna". Frank stopped in his tracks.

"What the hell is a... you know what never mind. That rejection shit hurt, Gee, and I'm not in the mood to live through that again." Frank walked away to drop off the plates of food. When he came back, Gerard grabbed his hand and pulled them into a little corner, away from the eyes of the diner guests.

"I know that baby, and you know I wouldn't ask this if it wasn't important. Please let me show you off?" Gerard pleaded as his arms slid around Frank's waist. Frank sighed heavily in defeat.

"Fine. Fine!" Frank threw his hands up as he walked away.

"Love you" Gerard called out with a smile on his face.

"Yeah yeah" Frank groaned.

————————————————————————

Once again, Frank found himself dolled up and shaking like a leaf as he walked through the Way's front door. The houses was substantially more full than before and he breathed a small sigh in relief knowing he could probably blend in decently with the crowd.

Lots of people stopped and talked to Gerard or shook his hand and Frank found it fascinating. Gerard was almost two different people; with Frank he was normally soft and loving. But with his pack he was confident, almost arrogant, and personable. He knew everyone's name, their mates even their kids and Frank was thoroughly impressed. Frank couldn't help but notice that Gerard didn't introduce him to a single person he talked to a he felt a little ashamed. Gerard must have picked up on this because he whispered in Frank's ear something about introducing him later.

Usually at this function, Gerard would sit to Mr Way's right and Mikey would sit to Mrs Way's left. Both the Way parents would be seated together at the head of the table. Gerard made a point not to take his regular seat, mostly so he wouldn't tip off his father that he was there and with company.

The enormous table had easily 80-90 chairs around it and the hall was the size of a school gymnasium. Gerard and Frank took a seat about halfway down, near some dishes that Gerard knew didn't have meat in them. The table was full of food; turkeys, ham, steak, pot roast. You name it, it was there, along with a fancy place setting at each chair. Mr Way signaled for everyone to take their seats and surprisingly the mass of people were seated within about two minutes.

"Good evening, brothers and sisters. The month of October has surely been a generous one for our pack. Three little cubs were born and five wolves found their mates" Mr Way boasted and the table clapped politely in response. "As a matter of fact, my own son Michael imprinted on his mate just last week". Mr Way gestured towards Mikey who stood up hand in hand with Ray as the couple waved to the group awkwardly. "Donna and I couldn't be prouder" he beamed.

"What about Gerard?" A voice called out.

"Yes! Why has he not found a mate, alpha?"

Another voice added.

"I understand the packs concern, but my son... my son, he..." Mr Way didn't quite know how to finish that statement.

"I apologize, Father" Gerard spoke loudly as he rose from his seat. "I wanted to sit amongst the pack and not at the head of the table where my required seat is." Mr Way smiled awkwardly, unsure of where Gerard was headed with this. "And I want to tell everyone that they no longer need to worry, I have found my mate" Gerard looked down and smiled warmly at a blushing Frank. The crowd at the table gasped and whispered. Gerard reached down and grabbed Frank's hand, pulling him into a standing position. "I'd like to introduce to you your future Luna, Frank. Yes he is a human, but he will be making the change next week" Gerard said loud and clear. It was only a moment of hesitation before the crowed erupted in applause and cheers.

As the couple took their seats again, people near them patted their backs and shook their hands saying congratulations. When the commotion died down, the group turned back to Mr Way who was trying very hard to keep his anger in check.

"Yes, well thanks for that Gerard. Please everyone, let's enjoy our meal and each other's company" as he sat down, signaling the start of the meal.


	22. Chapter 22

The food was delicious and Gerard was right, the pack members were warm and welcoming. On the other side of Frank sat a girl about his age with pitch black hair.

"So you're the lucky bastard" she joked. Frank furrowed his brows in confusion.

"Every single eligible person in the pack hoped Gerard would imprint on them. Such a high ranking, attractive alpha".

"I'm sorry, what's your name?" Frank asked, feeling a little jealous about this girls thoughts towards his boyfriend.

"I'm Jamia" she said with a smile. "Don't worry, I'm not trying to take Gerard or anything. Mates are for life". Frank was only slightly reassured at her words.

"Where is your mate?" He asked as he shoveled a forkful of zucchini noodles into his mouth.

"Your guess is as good as mine" Jamia laughed but caught on to Frank's confusion almost immediately. "I don't have one" she clarified.

"Oh. I'm sorry" Frank murmured.

"Don't be. It will be my turn someday. But this waiting around sucks". Both Jamia and Frank broke into a fit of giggles. "So what's it like? Being a human I mean?"

"Um... human-y?" Frank laughed.

"I hear wolves heal faster" Jamia said in a hushed tone.

"I guess I wouldn't know" Frank shrugged. He nearly jumped a foot though when a soft warm hand rested on top of his thigh. Looking up he saw Gerard smirking a little as he talked with an older man across the table.

"So Frank, are you worried about being changed?" Jamia spoke, pulling his attention back to the girl next to him.

"What's there to be worried about" Frank said flippantly.

"Man, I remember my first change. It hurt like a bitch".

"Hurt?" Frank sputtered. "W-what do you mean it hurt?"

"Your body isn't used to the violent act of shifting, so it hurts." Jamia noticed the color draining from Frank's face. "But don't worry. Over time it gets less and less painful."

"Great" Frank said unenthusiastically. "Can't wait for that".

The rest of the meal consisted of Frank and Jamia talking amonst themselves while Gerard mingled with as many people as he could. Sometimes his hand would rest on Frank's thigh other times it would be on the small of his back. As people finished their meals and the talking started to die down, they started heading to their homes. The more people left, the more Frank's anxiety started to rise. It was a little hard to blend into a crowd when the crowd was steadily diminishing. Within a half hour, there was only a handful of people left.

"Gerard" Mr Way said sternly. "We should have a chat".

"Anything you say to me you can say in front of my mate" Gerard replied, smiling internally at his fathers wince at the word.

"Gerard this is enough!" Mr Way barked, causing Frank to jump. He so badly wanted to run away.

"Face facts. Frank is my mate and I'll be living my life with him whether it's here or elsewhere" Gerard challenged as he walked up to Mr Way and stood toe to toe. Both alphas stared each other down for a few long moments before Mrs Way intervened.

"Now now" Mrs Way said calmly as she inched her way between the two men to try and deescalate the situation.

"Don't threaten me with that, Gerard. You forget I have Michael as a back up" Mr Way argued.

"No you don't" a voice from the corner of the room spoke up. "If something bad were to happen to Gerard, I wouldn't hesitate to step up and take control. But I won't if he leaves because you won't accept his mate" Mikey said. "If Gerard leaves, Ray and I do too. We are the last two Way's which means your pack name would change and the history lost."

"Alright everybody just calm down" Mrs Way said loudly. "Gerard, we are happy that you are so happy with your mate, but please understand that your father and I weren't expecting it to be a human."

"And who told you about changing humans, anyway?" Mr Way interrupted. Gerard sealed his lips, there was no way he was ratting out the only person who's supported him unconditionally.

"I did" a fourth voice joined in. Helena stepped towards the group with a smile on her face. "These two came to me and I gave them information." Mr Way sighed in defeat. 

"Alright. I'll accept your mate for what he is. But know this: your ancestors have spent a great deal of time and effort to keep the Way reputation as spotless as it is and if that kid leaves one splotch on the Way name, I'll take him out to the woods and rip him apart myself" Mr Way growled. After a moment of silence, Gerard turned, grabbed Frank's hand and walked out of the hall.

After winding up countless steps and passing what felt like hundreds of doors, Gerard stopped at one placed in the middle of a long corridor.

"This is my room" he said softly as he pushed the door open. It was enormous, with a king size bed in the corner and a large oak dresser with a mirror. It even had an attached bathroom.

"Jesus" Frank breathed out. "This is bigger than the entire second story of my house". Gerard didn't respond as he kicked off his shoes and led Frank inside the door.

"Make yourself comfortable. This will be your home someday" Gerard smiled. Frank looked around at the framed paintings on the wall, with band posters splashed between them. The room was a strange mix of antique and modern; just like Gerard.

Suddenly a steady rapping against a wall pulled Frank out of his thoughts. He looked back at Gerard who looked at him confused until he realized what it was. Frank didn't shut the bedroom door behind him and Mikey's room was right across the hall...

"Other people live here, you know" Gerard yelled before slamming the bedroom door shut. Frank blushed when he realized Mikey and Ray must have slipped into the bedroom across the hall and were busy.

"Fucking, mates" Gerard mumbled as he walked to Frank and snaked his arms around his waist.

"Well Mikey might have the right idea about how to pass the time" Frank tried to say as seductively as possible.

"Yeah?" Gerard replied as his eyes started to darken and his hands made their way from Frank's waist down to his ass. Frank reached up and attached their lips as Gerard steered him towards his large bed.


	23. Chapter 23

Dinner with the Way pack was surprisingly better than Frank anticipated it would be. And even rolling around Gerard's satin sheets while moaning and groaning wasn't too bad. But Frank's favorite part of the night was after, when the pair laid in silence and held each other while the moon and stars shone in through the large windows and reflected off their naked bodies. Frank drifted off to sleep while Gerard traced the tattoos on his arms softly. Gerard drove Frank home first thing the next morning, and now Frank was in the diner feeling like he was on cloud 9. Things were finally looking perfect in Frank's little world.

Frank had just finished cleaning the last table after lunch rush when he heard the door open.

"Over here Gee" Frank called out without looking up, his back to the entryway. A strong pair of arms wrapped around his waist from behind and Frank smiled, leaning into the warm body behind him until he looked down. His blood ran cold when he saw the swirls of a tattoo around the persons right wrist. Gerard didn't have tattoos. Turning around instantly he was met eye to eye with Bert. Before he could even make a sound, Bert had clamped a hand over Frank's mouth and slowly backed him up against the wall.

"I thought I would find you here" Bert breathed. "I've tried being nice and I've tried being patient but I've had enough. You have two choices: you either choose me and your precious boyfriend lives, or I kill you both." Frank's eyes widened at Bert's words.

"The Way's and the McCracken's are enemies and I'll be damned if I let that pretty boy take what's mine." Frank tried to respond but it was muffled by Bert's hand. "Yeah yeah Gerard says your mates and all but he hasn't claimed you yet. That's because you can't claim a human. So he can imprint on you but you aren't true mates." Another muffled response from Frank followed. "I know what you're thinking. That you'll change and all will be wrapped up in a nice little package. That's if I don't change you first."

Frank was confused. Claim? True mates? He hadn't heard these terms before. Was Gerard hiding something? Was there more to this changing business that they didn't know.

"I'll make it clear for you. You choose me, or I'll kill Gerard right in front of you. Him, his parents, his brother. You'll watch Way blood be spilled for hours" Bert growled lowly. "This war has been looming for decades and I'm ready to light the match and get things started now. The sooner we wipe the Way pack from Earth the sooner McCracken soil can be reclaimed. And I'll give you everything your heart ever desired" Bert spoke as he used his free hand to gently tuck a strand of hair behind Frank's ear. "Don't be stupid" he said before pulling his hand away and turning to leave. "I want your decision by tomorrow Frank, or I'll make it for you". With that, he pulled the door open and walked out. Frank couldn't do anything but crumple to the ground in tears.

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Gerard's tires squealed as he flew into the parking lot. Patrick had found Frank about a half hour ago and the poor guy was inconsolable. Patrick took Frank's phone and called Gerard for help.

Gerard practically sprinted from his car and ripped the diner door open to be met with the smell of Bert. Fuck. And fear. Frank's fear. Double fuck.

"Frank?" Gerard called out before rounding the corner and seeing Patrick trying to console Frank. Frank's face was red and puffy like he had been crying for some time. "Oh god, Frank what happened?" Gerard exclaimed as he rushed over to Frank and crouched down next to him. When Frank could only sob brokenly, Gerard turned to Patrick.

"I have no clue. I just ran home to change my shirt and I came back and found him like this" Patrick stammered.

"Did you see anyone come or go?" Gerard demanded.

"No, I left after the last table paid." Gerard had a pretty good feeling he knew what happened but he needed to get Frank home and safe.

"Ok I'm going to take him home" Gerard said as he helped Frank to his feet. "Thanks Patrick, I'll call you later". After buckling Frank into the passenger seat and walking around to the drivers side, Gerard took a deep breath to keep his anger in check.

"Come on baby, I'll take you home" he said quietly before Frank let out a panicked noise.

"N-no, not m-mine, y-yours please yours!" He cried.

"Ok, ok. I'll bring you to the pack house". Gerard drove faster then he probably needed to but Frank wasn't complaining. After a few minutes, Gerard decided to ask the question that was eating away at him.

"Was it Bert?" He asked, his teeth clenching at the name. Frank could only nod a little. Gerard's grip on the wheel tightened and his knuckles were white but he didn't say anymore.

After bringing him inside, tucking Frank into his bed and assuring him he was safe, Gerard turned to leave the room.

"Gee? Where are you going?" Frank asked with a hint of desperation.

"I need to talk to my father, Frank. I need to figure out a way to keep you safe." After no response from Frank, Gerard turned and walked out the door, closing it behind him softly.

The walk down the corridor to the door at the endof it was long and Gerard's limbs felt heavy. Rapping on the heavy wooden door, his father called for him to enter. Gerard had only been in this office a handful of times, normally when he was in trouble so he only had bad memories of this place.

"Father" Gerard spoke after clearing his throat. Mr Way sat behind the desk, writing in a book.

"Yes Gerard?" He said in a mundane tone without even looking up or stopping his writing.

"I need to ask you what to do about keeping Frank safe"

"Safe from what" Mr Way replied in a monotone.

"McCracken." The soft sound of pen scratching against paper stopped instantly as Mr Way slowly lifted his head to meet Gerard's gaze.


	24. Chapter 24

"Now why would Frank need protection from a McCracken" Mr Way said, his interest clearly piqued.

"Not a McCracken, the McCracken. Bert-er-I mean Robert McCracken Jr to be precise." Mr Way and Gerard stared at each other for several long moments before anyone spoke.

"Gerard, Frank isn't one of us" Mr Way spoke slowly. Gerard furrowed his brows in confusion and anger.

"Jesus, you just can't accept-"

"No" Mr Way interrupted. "By wolf law, Frank isn't apart of any pack. He's a human, and humans can never be pack members. Not until they've been changed and truly mated." Gerard began pacing the floor back and forth trying to solve the dilemma.

"So, so we change him early. Before his birthday. There's a way, right? Let's call the elders, I'm sure there must be a way" Gerard suggested desperately. Mr Way only shook his head.

"The goddess only gave us one way of turning a human. It protects them from being changed to a life they may not want."

"So let's protect him. The wolf army"

"Gerard" Mr Way breathed as he stood up. "You know I can't order that. If a pack member was in danger then sure. But until he's changed, Frank isn't one of us. The only way is for him to stay here until the full moon. He'd be on Way territory, he would be safe." Gerard felt a little happiness in that his father was offering suggestions on keeping Frank safe. Maybe over time this whole fall-in-love-with-a-human thing will be a distant memory.

"That will never work, Frank won't stay away from his diner that long." Mr Way sighed.

"We can ask around, take volunteers to monitor him while he's at work and at home. The town is neutral territory." Gerard's eyes lit up at the thought.

"Absolutely! Mikey, Ray, I bet I could even ask Brendon and some other friends" Gerard beamed.

"Just be realistic. People may say no" Mr Way added. Gerard hardly heard his caution as he sprinted out of the office, yelling a thanks father behind him.

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After only a few hours, Gerard had accrued quite a list of wolves gladly accepting the job of protecting their future Luna. Mikey, Ray, Brendon, Pete, Andy, Joe, Jonathan and Hayley were among the group, as well as a newly mated couple, Zach and Liz. Gerard didn't know them well but anyone willing to help Frank was a friend of his.

"This is absolutely important. He must be protected for the next six days until his birthday when he can be changed. We can take turns being stationed outside the diner during the day and his house at night. He lives near woods so it should be easy to stay hidden. If you smell another pack you howl for back up immediately" Gerard instructed at the medium sized group. He couldn't wait to tell Frank.

————————————————————————

As Frank paced the floor in the diner, he was scared to death. Bert would be back at any time and with his birthday still five days away he was worried. Gerard insisted he was safe and that he would be watched continuously but since he couldn't see the wolves, he didn't feel like he was being protected.

"Dude, chill out" Patrick tried to reason. Frank was careful only to tell Patrick that a creepy guy that wouldn't take no for an answer was bothering him. Even though he hardly knew him, Patrick had faith Gerard would keep Frank safe. "Plus you have me here. And somewhat Lins, you never know, sometimes she's kind of useless" Patrick added.

"Fuck you, Trick!" Lindsey yelled from somewhere in the diner and if Frank wasn't so tense he probably would have laughed.

Every time the door opened, Frank's breath hitched, but every time it was just another customer. As the evening wore on Frank even began to relax a little. Maybe Bert was bluffing.

"Hey Frank, is it okay if I take off a little early? I have a date" Lindsey said about 7 o'clock.

"A date? Who the fuck would want to date you?” Patrick laughed from the kitchen. 

"Your mom" Lindsey smirked.

"Just go" Frank waved his hand dismissively. "This lovers quarrel you both have is giving me a migraine and you two should just fuck and get it over with" he groaned. Both Lindsey and Patrick blushed but nothing more was said.

The last hour of the night Frank and Patrick joked with each other as they cleaned up and took inventory of food while Frank jotted notes of what needed to be replenished. It was when the door opened a little after 8p that his stomach dropped.

"Frankie" Bert called in a sing-song voice. Frank sighed shakily as he made his way towards the front. Rounding the corner he saw the tall stringy haired man that Frank used to be fond of. He was never emotionally attracted to Bert but the guy always seemed nice and kept Frank out of his head on days he was feeling down. Frank always saw him as a good friend, at least he used to.

"So Frank. Are you ready to go?" Bert smiled widely as he held his hand out for Frank to take. Frank stood a good 6ft away from the other man, trying to control his fear.

"N-no, Bert. I love Gerard, n-not you and I'm staying w-with him" Frank recited just like Gerard told him. Bert's smile slowly dropped to a scowl as his eyes grew dark.

"It's not a question anymore. You are leaving with me" he growled and in the blink of an eye he had closed the gap and had his arms around Frank who began flailing his arms in protest.

"Hey!" Patrick yelled, coming out after hearing the commotion.

"Mind your business" Bert growled in Patrick's direction, flashing his yellow eyes quickly to deter the other man from helping.

"That's enough, Bert" a familiar voice barked out. All three men turned to the entrance to see Gerard with his arms crossed and a dark expression on his face. Mikey and Ray flanked his left side, as well as a tall dark haired man with a large forehead and a fourth man with a reddish beard on his right. They all shared a similar, intimidating scowl. Bert hissed at how quickly he was outnumbered.

"This doesn't concern you, Way" Bert seethed.

"Oh I really think it does" Gerard replied without missing a beat. "Three alphas and two omegas, Bert. You don't stand a chance." After a long moment of figuring out if the fight right now was worth it, even Bert had to eventually concede that this was a battle he definitely wouldn't win.

Bert released his grip on the trembling man as he stood up, adjusting his jacket. He turned and stepped up towards Gerard, looking him dead in the eye before a sick smile spread across his lips.

"This isn't over, Way. This has been a long time coming" Bert whispered

"I can't wait to tear you to pieces" Gerard spit back. With that, Bert shouldered through Gerard and Mikey, causing the men to step back a bit as he walked out. This is only the beginning Gerard thought. 


	25. Chapter 25

Gerard decided to stay with Frank that night, seeing as the young man could use a little comfort. Gerard wasn't the least bit worried that Bert or anyone from his pack would try to return that night. He may have been an asshole, but even Bert wasn't stupid enough to instigate a half thought out battle on neutral soil. And around humans, no doubt. But he was definitely planning something, and that thought made Gerard's stomach ache.

Every now and then, Gerard would catch the faint scent of a Way wolf, and he knew it was Mikey and Brendon patrolling the woods tonight. He told that to Frank who seemed to relax a little at the thought.

Frank was so mentally drained that he passed out practically the minute he laid his head on the pillow. Gerard took the initiative to clean up and dust a little, something he tended to do when he felt anxious. Gerard was doing dishes when he felt eyes watching him; studying him.

The hair on the back of his neck stood up as he froze, listening for noise outside. Looking out the window above Frank's kitchen sink, he couldn't hardly see a thing. Damn human eyes he groaned. He could see perfectly in wolf form, but he didn't think Frank would appreciate a gigantic wolf walking around his house.

Deciding that whatever was watching him was making him uneasy, he dried his hands and walked to the living room, flopping on the couch. Still he felt something watching him. The windows in the living room faced the opposite way so what ever was watching him was close to the house and this made him uneasy. But he couldn't smell anything out of the ordinary. The faint scents of Mikey and Brendon told him they were close but not near the house, and he wasn't picking up on any other scent.

Beginning to panic a little, Gerard got up and starting walking through the house, checking every nook and cranny he could. It was when he flung the closet door open that he felt it the strongest, yet nothing was in there. Sighing in frustration, he closed the door and turned to head back to the living room when he nearly jumped a foot. In the middle of the hallway sat the little rat looking dog of Frank's, staring at Gerard.

"Jesus fucking Christ!" He almost yelled. "You little fucker!" His surprise didn't even startle the dog. It suddenly made sense, Sweet Pea was following him and with everything going on Gerard immediately jumped to a bad conclusion.

"Damn little dog who could fit inside my mouth when I'm in wolf form, making a big bad alpha wolf scared" Gerard mumbled as he walked passed the dog. It yipped at him once and followed. "What the fuck do you want?" He groaned and the dog yipped again, sprinting towards the kitchen. Gerard followed him and turned the light back on.

"You need to be quiet, Frank needs sleep" Gerard scolded but the dog sat next to her bowl and stared at Gerard. "What? Food?" Sweet Pea yipped again. "Alright, alright" Gerard groaned as he dug through the cabinets until he found a bag of kibble for her.

"Yuck" Gerard mumbled as he filled the bowl. Sweet Pea hardly let him finish before she dug right in. "You like this shit?" Gerard asked surprised as he looked over the bag. "You should try real meat". Sweet Pea ignored him as she crunched away.

Gerard sat down next to the animal as she ate, trying to piece together why Frank was so attached to it. Hesitantly he lifted his hand and lightly pet Sweet Pea down her back before she stopped and growled.

"Look, I love Frank and you love Frank. So we have to get along" Gerard reasoned. The dog looked at him before resuming eating and Gerard pet it again this time without a negative reaction. "Finally" he breathed as he kept petting Sweet Pea while she ate. After she finished, she stretched out and crawled into Gerard's lap on top of his crossed legs. Gerard tensed a bit before relaxing and scratching Sweet Pea behind her ear as she laid down. This isn't too bad Gerard thought.

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"Father you know we can't do that" Gerard whined. His father summoned him home the next morning and after leaving Frank safely in the house with Joe and Pete nearby to patrol, he went back to the pack house.

"It's not up to me, Gerard, you know the rules" Mr Way argued. After the interactions with McCracken, Mr Way decided it was a good time to convene the alphas and betas and go over what to do should a battle ensue. Being a pack alpha meant it was Gerard's responsibility to attend, meaning almost everyone who offered to protect Frank would need to attend as well.

"How are we going to protect Frank?" Mr Way stopped as he stared off into space, thinking.

"Zach and Liz offered to help, right? Let them. I'll excuse Zach from the meeting".

"Zach is a beta and Liz is an omega. They aren't strong enough and they can't fight off Bert alone" Gerard rebutted.

"Bert will smell Way in the area and assume it's one of you or your friends. I doubt he would come close enough to see it's a beta and omega. We need to be thinking about the larger picture, Gerard" Mr Way scolded. Huffing in anger, Gerard turned and stormed out of his fathers office.

_Gerard: baby I won't be able to come today. Some pack meeting. But I'm sending two wolves to keep an eye on you. Just stay inside the house tonight and I'll get there as soon as I can. I love you_

Gerard slipped his phone back into his pocket and began preparing for the pack meeting.


	26. Chapter 26

Frank took Gerard's advice and stayed home, telling Patrick he didn't feel well. Perks of owning your own business meant coming and going as you please. The day went by slow and boring. He let Sweet Pea out in the backyard a few times to run and play and spent the rest of the day reading. Gerard promised there were wolves there watching him but he couldn't see them and that made him nervous. 

After a quiet dinner, Frank did some dishes and fed Sweet Pea before making his way back to the living room to resume his book. He had finally found a good story that he was getting into. Once he stepped into the living room he froze.

"Bert....h-how the fuck did you get in here?" Frank practically squeaked. Bert was standing in the middle of his living room with dark eyes and a taunting smile.

"I must admit it's pretty smart of the Way pack to keep alpha guards around you all night and day. Unfortunately that's where their intelligence ends because they couldn't have picked two of the worst people to watch you" Bert chuckled.

"Leave" Frank said as he tried to make his voice as stern as possible.

"Not without you" Bert spoke smoothly. It took a split second before Frank sprinted up the steps and into his bedroom slamming the door shut.

"Fuck" he whispered. Running away from the bad guy doesn't mean run to a second floor of your house! Bert started banging on the door trying to push it in. Frank winced because he had seen more than enough horror movies to know that the person that makes that decision is usually the first person to die. Patting his pockets frantically for his phone, Frank's heart sank when he realized he left his phone downstairs on the coffee table next to his book.

Flinging his closet open, Frank grabbed a pair of old converses and slipped them on before opening his bedroom window and slipping out quietly. Climbing down the lattice on the side of the house, Frank jumped the last few feet, groaning in pain when his feet hit the ground.

The woods Frank remembered. Gerard had told him earlier that day to go straight East into the woods. About a mile in was the beginning of Way pack territory and he could call for help. Once he entered a large open grassland in the woods, Gerard would be able to find him.

It was a long shot, trying to outrun a wolf in the woods but being as Frank was quickly limping across the street towards the edge of the trees as Bert was presumably still trying to kick his bedroom door open, it was worth a shot.

Frank ran through the darkness as fast as he could. He contemplated yelling for help but worried about Bert hearing him first. Unfortunately running through the woods at night was a lot harder than it sounded. Branches and holes in the ground caused Frank to stumble repeatedly and he had to slow his pace down to prevent from falling flat on his face. He was also being cut and whipped by branches that hung lowly off the trees. Frank whimpered in pain but tried his best to stay quiet.

"You really think you can outrun a wolf?" A voice playfully called a ways behind him. Frank didn't let himself be deterred as he continued to run the direction of where the Way property was.

"You certainly are making a gallant effort, I give you that" the voice laughed as it grew closer.

Frank could start to see the tree coverage become less dense and felt that the grassland was just beyond the far line of trees. Making a last ditch effort, Frank ran harder despite his body and lungs screaming at him for a break.

"Sorry baby boy" a voice said right behind him as arms wrapped around him stopping his running. "This is as far as I can let you go" Bert chuckled into his ear. Frank was panting heavily and just as he took a deep breath to yell loudly, Bert clasped his hand over Frank's mouth.

"Now we don't want Gerard coming and breaking up all the fun we're about to have, do we?" Bert breathed as two other men stepped out of the shadows and grabbed at Frank. The three men hauled Frank deeper into the woods as the tattooed man began to sob softly in defeat.

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Gerard was anxious throughout the entire meeting, all he wanted to do was get back to his mate.

"The rules of pack war are simple. Once a fight commences, it doesn't end until an alpha's blood is spilled. Being as there are two heirs to the Way throne, my guess is McCracken is going to want Way blood spilled" Boyd Urie, Brendon's father spoke. Gerard could see Ray slowly slip his hand into Mikey's and squeeze at Boyd's words.

"Is McCracken seriously dumb enough to start a war with our pack? Look around, we have roughly 15 alphas and almost 30 betas. We are, by numbers, immensely stronger" Billie Joe, another pack alpha argued.

"This has been a long time coming" Mr Way sighed. "Robert McCracken Sr started a similar battle that cost him his life and it appears his son and only heir is trying to reignite the rivalry. It's time to end it." The group spoke softly amongst themselves until Mr Way spoke again.

"This war will kick off sooner rather than later. All the children and omegas will be safely barricaded into the pack house along with a few betas to help the injured. Any beta or omega of the McCrackens will be given the choice to either join us or leave the area. All alphas will need to be eliminated. Be prepared to heed the call" Mr Way spoke before waving his arm signaling the end of the meeting. As people filed out, he slouched down in his chair as his shoulders fell. It was a rare moment of seeing Mr Way vulnerable.

"I don't relish the thought of spilling more McCracken blood" he sighed.

"Father, he is a monster" Gerard argued.

"Monster or not, he is the same age as my son, and I don't enjoy the idea of killing him." Gerard couldn't help the warm feeling that filled him at his fathers words because Bert and him were the same age. When it was only Gerard, Mikey and Ray left in the room, Mr Way showed his true thoughts.

"I've never wanted to go into battle next to my sons, especially when the three of us have such a large target on our backs." Mr Way stood up and walked towards his sons, draping an arm around each of their shoulders. "No matter what happens, remember these words: I love both of you and I'm incredibly proud of both of you. I can't imagine having greater sons." All three men fought back tears. "Go, be with your mates. Enjoy the peace while it's here".

Mikey slipped an arm around Ray's waist as they walked towards the door and Gerard turned to follow them until he was hit in the gut.

Something was wrong. Very very wrong. Running past Mikey and Ray, Gerard sprinted towards the door and stepped outside smelling the air. Mikey, Ray and Mr Way followed him.

"Do you smell that?" Gerard breathed out. He was trying to pin point the smell amongst all the other scents of nature. It was faint and barely noticeable, but it was there.

"It smells like rain" Mr Way noted.

"And fear" Ray added.

"Fuck. Frank" Gerard breathed as his feet took off towards the woods.


	27. Chapter 27

Gerard ran the entire way from the pack house to Frank's house. As he got closer, the smell of fear got stronger and stronger.

"Shit" Gerard whispered. "Please be there, please be safe".

Just as Gerard was approaching the house, a black car screeched into Frank's driveway and Mikey climbed out.

"Jesus, Gee you ran the entire way?!" He exclaimed but Gerard walked right passed him towards the front door that was cracked open.

Mikey and Ray followed close behind as Gerard entered the house. There were so many scents but two stood out as the strongest. Fear and Bert. Fuck. Gerard walked around the house frantically as he surveyed what happened. His stomach churned when he saw Frank's bedroom door completely shouldered in and laid in pieces on the floor.

Sweet Pea slowly crawled out from under the bed and eyed Gerard suspiciously. He knelt down as she inched closer to him.

"Where did he go? Huh? Where did Frank go?" Gerard bent down and pleaded quietly to the dog as she came and jumped up onto his leg. He scooped the dog up and stood back up as he felt her trembling.

"I can't find Frank" Mikey said as he appeared in the bedroom doorway.

"He's gone" Gerard said sadly as he turned and walked out of the room.

"What do we do?" Ray asked as he joined Gerard and Mikey.

"We need to tell Father. He will know what to do" Gerard said eerily calmly as he walked out the front door carrying Sweet Pea.

"Are you seriously bringing that ugly thing with us?" Mikey asked as the three of them neared the car.

"She's Frank's pet and he will be upset if anything happens to her" Gerard said softly as he scratched behind her ear. After locking up the house, the three men headed home to see what they could do to save Frank.

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Frank had no clue how long he was tied to the chair he was in. Bert and his men dragged Frank to a small cabin nestled in the woods and this is where he sat. The cabin was small, only a main room, kitchen and a bedroom at most. Bert came and went but Frank tried his best to ignore him, refusing any food or water he was offered. 

"Now Frankie, we must keep your strength up. Tomorrow is the big day" Bert said when Frank shook his head to avoid drinking water Bert was offering. "I'm sorry you're mad at me but you won't be after I turn you and make you mine".

"I thought changing a human against their will was illegal" Frank finally spoke up, his voice raspy from limited use.

"Not illegal per say, just frowned upon".

"So you're going to change me then rape me? How does that start a loving relationship" Frank fought back, uselessly tugging on his wrist restraints.

"You don't understand" Bert stood up and set the cup on a table near Frank. "Once your mine you won't be able to resist me. You'll want only me. And Gerard will be nothing but a distant memory. No more Way's, only McCracken. And when we kill them, you won't even bat an eye about it."

Frank's eyes widened at his words. Not only was he going to be changed by the wrong person, he was going to hate Gerard and that hurt Frank's tender heart the most.

  
“I thought wolves could only imprint once. I know you haven’t imprinted on me” Frank fought back weakly.

”I imprinted on a human once. She was beautiful and smart and wonderful. Then she broke my fucking heart in two. Now I don’t believe in imprinting. I make my own fate.” Frank’s face fell at his words. Obviously Bert had studied on this and was armed with strength and knowledge.

"So fight me all you want, sweetheart. But you'll be singing a different tune tomorrow night" Bert smiled as he caressed Franks cheek. Frank shook his head violently and Bert just chuckled. Once Bert had walked out of the cabin, Frank's head hung forward as he cried quietly, praying Gerard would find him and save him.

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"What do you mean there is nothing we can do?!" Gerard shouted. He left Sweet Pea in his bedroom before going to his fathers office where both his parents were.

"Gerard if your suspicions are correct that means Frank is on McCracken land and we can't just go in and get him" Mr Way argued.

"Why not?! If they kidnapped me or Mikey or even Ray you would be bursting in with a whole army to rescue us."

"I've told you before, Gerard. Frank is not a member of the pack. We can't go in and get him because technically they've kidnapped a human not a pack member."

"So what then?" Gerard's voice cracked as he tried to keep his emotions at bay. Mr Way sighed.

"We hope Frank can find a way out. We stay vigilant and ready." The answer wasn't good enough for Gerard but it was the only option he had. Even he had to admit that sending Way members in to retrieve Frank was practically a death sentence. After storming out of the office, Gerard ran to his room, slamming the door shut. Gerard fell onto his bed and cried bitterly into his pillow. Frank was in danger and Gerard felt helpless. He promised to save him and keep him protected and he failed.

Gerard was pulled out of his meltdown by a soft lick to his face. Turning his head slowly he came face to face with Sweet Pea who was curling up into a ball next to Gerard on his pillow. It was a small ounce of comfort as Gerard drifted off into a restless sleep next to Frank's dog.


	28. Chapter 28

Frank was pulled out of his slight dozing by soft hands tapping his shoulder. He opened his eyes to see a sad smile on a young woman's face as she held a bowl of what looked like oatmeal.

"Come on, you need to eat" she said gently. Frank felt weak both mentally and physically. He was in no mood to fight so he let this unknown woman feed him about half the bowl. She could be poisoning him for all he knew, but Frank didn't care much at that point.

"Can you do me a favor" Frank asked the woman as she rinsed out the bowl in the next room. She walked back in drying her hands. "Please kill me? Put me out of my misery" he begged. She looked shocked at his request.

"Why would I do that?" She gasped.

"Because I don't want to live a life where I can't love the person I want to love. I don't want to be with Bert" Frank hung his head again as more tears came out. The woman stood there watching him before crouching down in front of him to get his attention.

"Don't give up" she whispered as she swept away a few stray tears.

"What's your name?" Frank asked after a moment or two of silence.

"Liz" she said.

"And you have a mate?"

"Yes" she nodded.

"Gerard was going to be my true mate. But I've never been a lucky man" Frank sulked.

"Don't give up" Liz said again. Before Frank could respond, the door flung open and Bert came in.

"Did he eat?" Bert grunted.

"Yes" Liz said quietly, clearly frightened by Bert.

"Good" was all Bert could say before he walked back out, signaling Liz to follow and leaving Frank alone again.

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Gerard helped bring jugs of water into the main room of the pack house. It was full moon tonight and as always, the children and omegas would be locked in the pack house to stay safe from any straying alpha. Mikey was going around the home pulling blinds and checking window locks. Gerard hadn't told anyone his plan, but he was intending on breaking territory lines and rescuing Frank. He would rather go down fighting than not doing anything. Gerard was so lost in his thoughts and preparations he didn't notice Mikey walking in.

"I know what you're planning" he said softly, breaking the silence. Gerard glanced up before returning to the task at hand of pulling blankets from the closet. "And honestly I don't blame you".

"No clue what you're talking about, Mikey" Gerard replied.

"You're going to go after him. You're going to jump territory boundaries and try to rescue Frank." Gerard didn't respond. Curse Mikey and his ability to read his older brother like a book. "I don't blame you. If it were Ray I would do the exact same thing".

"I'd rather be ripped to pieces by a McCracken then go on knowing I did nothing" Gerard said simply.

"You won't be alone" Mikey spoke softly as as he rest a hand on Gerard's shoulder. "You'll have me. And Brendon. We won't let you go in alone".

Gerard turned to his brother who's face showed nothing but genuine determination. A soft smile spread across his lips as Gerard pulled Mikey in for a bone-crushing hug.

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Frank jumped when the door was opened urgently again, his fear only growing when he saw Liz walking in with what looked like a knife. As scared as he was, Frank found an ounce of calm inside him, as he was certain Liz was about to follow through on his previous inquiry.

"Here" she whispered urgently as she knelt in front of him. Liz reached around and placed the handle of the small knife inside Frank's bound hand. Frank grasped it and furrowed his brows in confusion.

"Bert is gone. He'll be gone another few hours. Take the knife and cut through the rope. Once you're free, run straight off the porch and onto the woods. About two miles away is an open field that is neutral ground. Just beyond that is a tree line that is the start to Way property. I would cut and free you now but then it would be obvious I helped you and that would result in death." Frank listened to everything as his fatigued mind slowly pieced together what Liz was saying. "This is your chance. The full moon rises in about an hour."

"Why are you helping me?" Frank asked.

"Because you don't deserve to be bound to a spiteful angry mate like I am" Liz said sadly as she hung her head. Frank felt an overwhelming urge to reach out and hug her, but he couldn't as he was still tied to the chair.

"My mate Zach and I used to be part of the Way pack. One day Bert promised Zach alpha status if he joined the McCracken pack and helped. Being his mate and an omega at that, I had no choice in the matter. Our job was to aid in capturing you which was a lot easier to do when the Way's called their leader meeting. I felt terrible but Zach kept telling me it was right, that it was beneficial to our survival. Zach would never be higher than a beta in the Way pack but Bert promised him more. Ultimately it's an empty promise because pack leaders don't dignify wolf status, the Goddess does."

Frank couldn't help but feel bad for this young woman; trapped in a relationship with a power hungry mate. Something Frank would be if he didn't find a way out of here soon.

"Why now? Why are you helping me now?" Frank asked quietly. This woman helped condemn him to death, in Frank's eyes, except he couldn't seem to be angry with her.

"Because maybe if I save you, you might have the power to save me. If I survive the night, Mr Way will only want me killed for my abandonment. You might be able to change that". Frank was conflicted. He didn't want to help someone who could betray Gerard so badly, but he also knew omegas were the lowest of the low and if she didn't listen to her mate he could have her killed.

"I won't promise anything. But I'll see what I can do" is all Frank said and Liz nodded slowly.

"Remember, straight out the door. It's heavily wooded area so be as quick and as quiet as you can." Liz turned and left abruptly, leaving Frank alone. It took him only a moment of hesitation before grasping the knife in his palm, turning his wrist and slowly beginning to move the blade back and forth against the rope.


	29. Chapter 29

It took about 20 minutes for Frank to cut through his binds; the rope was thicker than he remembered and his wrist began to ache at the awkward angle he held the knife. His eyes grew wide and his breathing stopped when he felt the rope slowly loosening and slipping from around his wrists. One quick tug and he was free, bringing his sore heavy arms in front of him.

Liz's words rang in his ears and he knew he didn't have a moment to spare. The floor below him creaked a little as a slowly stepped towards the door. Turning the handle and easing it open, Frank saw the sunset and the start of dusk, but no wolves. Taking his chance, Frank tip toed off the porch and looked around frantically before taking off into the woods.

_Straight from the front door_ Frank thought as he positioned his path as best he could in a straight line. The woods got thicker the further in he went and he had to slow his running to a jog to avoid hitting a tree. His lungs were probably burning and his legs were probably tired but he didn't feel any of it. The only thing running through his mind was get to the clearing.

An angry growl from the distance behind him startled Frank. Shit. Frank could surmise he was only about a mile into the woods at that. It was getting darker and darker and he was tripping more and more but Frank didn't stop, he only picked up his pace.

Another few minutes passed before the woods began to thin up a little. Frank used this opportunity to sprint as fast as he can until the wind was knocked out of him, causing the knife he had forgotten was still in his hand to go flying.

Slowly turning over, he was met with the cold yellow eyes of Bert. He was in wolf form and knowing what he knew, Frank knew he wouldn't be able to change until sunrise.

"I told you" Frank groaned, "I'm not going to be your bitch". Frank kicked Bert in the snout, causing the wolf to welp out in pain as Frank turned and rustled through the leaves looking for his knife. Finding it, Frank scurried to get up before being pulled to the ground again, this time Bert was baring his teeth and snapping as he hovered over Frank's small frame.

One swift kick to what he hoped was the wolf's genitalia, Frank freed himself again, hearing the wolf cry out in agony. But now he had a problem. Being knocked to the ground twice had caused his sense of direction to be skewed. If he wasn't careful, he could turn and venture deeper and deeper into McCracken territory. He didn't have much time to dwell, so facing a tree he thought he saw ahead of him earlier, Frank took off on foot again. He didn't bother being quiet with his steps, Bert knew where he was.

By some miracle, Frank burst through a line of trees into an open field. The grass was thick, impossible to run through, but he continued forward towards the distant line of trees that Liz told him meant freedom. The full moon was out bright and the field was pretty lit up for being night.

"G-Gerard!" Frank yelled through his panting. "Gerard I'm here! Please come help!" There was no response, just the wind slowly rustling the grass. "Gerard, I'm in the grassy opening!" Frank continued to make his way towards the other tree line, but he wasn't able to move very quickly and he knew Bert would be here any moment. "Gerard!" Frank cried out as tears began to well in his eyes. He was tired, hungry and scared.

Soft growling came from behind him but he didn't want to turn around, Frank already knew who it was. With a yelp of pain, Frank was knocked to the ground yet again, the thick grass cushioning his fall. Rolling over he saw Bert towering over him. Frank looked up at him in growing defeat. He could never outrun Bert. The wolf snarled before taking a paw and placing it on Frank's throat. The adding pressure effectively cut off his air supply and he thrashed against the wolf trying to get away. Squeezing his eyes shut, Frank began to give up.

Not a moment later, a gust of wind had seemed to knock Bert off of Frank and out of his line of vision. Trying to catch his breath, Frank sat up and watched Bert get up as well, only now they weren't alone. There was another wolf that had joined them, a large gray, almost black one with one white paw.

————————————————————————

Gerard stepped out onto the porch, the chilly night air nipping at his naked human body. Every wolf that was turning tonight gathered in front of the Way house so they could change together. Some of the betas stayed on the other side of the house until they changed, at the requests of their mates. Unfortunately for Ray, Mikey was a jealous alpha and didn't want any other alphas seeing his mate at his most vulnerable. After all this time it was still a little strange seeing all these other alphas naked, particularly his father and brother but Gerard never had wandering eyes. No one here could hold a candle to Frank and his beautiful body.

Mr Way began his regular full moon ritual of reminding people that now is the best time to eat or mate and to return to the pack house at sunrise. Things were going according to plan until a voice came in with the gentle breeze.

"Gerard! Gerard I'm here, please come help!" Gerard's eyes grew wide as he turned to Mikey who seemed to hear the same thing.

"Gerard, no wait-"

"It's Frank!" Gerard exclaimed as he jumped off the porch, changing into wolf form smoothly before he hit the ground, and sprinting full speed towards the sound of the yelling.

_Keep yelling baby, come on keep going_ Gerard thought as he ran through the woods. Frank could be anywhere in here but trying to pick up his scent would take too long.

"Gerard, I'm in the grassy opening!" Bingo. Gerard surged ahead to the clearing he knew Frank had made it to. Bursting through the tree line, Gerard scanned the area until Bert's black form came into view. He was towering over something, baring his teeth at something. Frank. Gerard's body reacted well before his brain when it took off towards the alpha that was touching his mate. And Gerard didn't stop until he hit Bert broad-side and sent him tumbling.

Gerard quickly looked down at Frank who was gasping and coughing. His eyes had large black circles under them and his body seemed a little thinner than he remembered, but he was alive. Gerard turned his attention back to Bert who was slowly regaining his stance after the surprise attack.

_You know the rules, Way, we don't leave until an alpha dies_ Bert growled.

_Good_ was all Gerard snarled back.


	30. Chapter 30

The two wolves stared each other down coldly, neither one moving a muscle, almost like they were having a conversation between themselves. Frank scurried backwards on the grass, trying to get further away before Gerard pounced and took what looked like a nasty bite on the side of Bert's neck. Fur and grass flew as the two tustled, Bert managing to toss Gerard a few feet away before pouncing again, the two large beasts growling and snarling.

Frank stood up and was about to step towards the skirmish before another large gray wolf stepped in front of him. He couldn't be sure who this was but knew it was a Way wolf because it pushed its head into Frank's side, pushing him towards the distant tree line. The wolf pushed Frank a good few feet back before Frank got the idea and turned to make his way to the woods. He was almost to the thick line of trees when a howl of pain caused his head to jerk around. Gerard and the other wolf were fighting Bert and three additional black wolves that had joined. It was like a nightmare as more wolves poured out from both sides of the clearing, a violent brawl ensuing.

Before Frank could act, a pair of arms reached out and grabbed around his waist, pulling him into the thick brush. Frank turned around in anger before his eyes softened.

"Jamia!" He cried was he hugged her tight.

"Frank thank god you're ok!" She responded as she squeezed him tighter. "Come on, we have to go" she said as she pulled on his arm.

"I can't" Frank said as he jerked his arm out of Jamia's grip. "Gerard is there".

"So is Mr Way" she pleaded. "He isn't alone". Frank turned and watched the fight trying to decipher which one was Gerard. The largest gray wolf was having a tough time with four McCracken wolves and what was possibly Mikey was taking on three of his own. The Way's were outnumbered and the wolf that was no doubt Gerard had red stained fur.

"But he's hurt! I can't let them kill Gerard, please, help me" Frank pleaded.

"Frank I'm on strict orders from Mr Way to bring you back to the pack house where you'll be safe" Jamia argued, her resolve slowly disappearing.

"I can't live in a world without Gerard so if you won't help me I'll do it alone"

"Don't be stupid, Frank, you're a human, you don't stand a chance" Jamia argued. Frank turned and began walking back towards the grassy clearing before Jamia stopped him. "You know once I change that I can't change back until sunrise right? None of us can. You'll be fighting silently and if you get hurt you'll be on your own" she tried to reason. Frank just shook his head in defiance.

"It's better than this" he gestured wildly to the fight.

"Fuck, Frank alright I'll help. Do you have a plan?" Frank looked down at the knife he still clutched tightly.

"No, but I'll take my chances. Just get me to Gerard and Bert". After an annoyed grunt, Jamia instructed Frank to turn away from her while she shifted, leaving the clothes she was wearing torn all over the ground. Frank climbed on her back and wrapped his arms around her neck as she darted towards the fight.

Gerard looked in rough shape, he wasn't in a fair fight as two more McCracken wolves were taking swipes at him as well. Gerard was no doubt bleeding and slowing down in his fight.

"Just get me to Bert, I'll do the rest" Frank said softly in Jamia's ear and she ran even faster towards the center of the skirmish. Just as she was passing Bert, Frank stood up on her back and jumped off towards the two ravenous wolves.

It was almost like slow motion, but Frank was able to land squarely on Bert's back, surprising even himself. Before he could react, Bert had twisted his long neck, grabbed Frank's foot in his mouth and tossing him to the ground. Frank yelled out in pain as his fangs dug deep into the skin but he refused to be deterred. Bert snarled before lifting his paw and scratching his long sharp nails across Frank's chest in a violent response. Blood poured out as Frank yelled again, this pain making his foot seem numb in comparison.

"Fuck you, Bert!" Frank yelled before swinging his arm and plunging the knife deep into Bert's side. Bert stared at him in shock for a moment before stumbling backwards and snapping his teeth towards the knife that was embedded in what Frank hopes was his heart. The entire field grew deathly quiet as all eyes watched Bert stumble around for a moment or two, before falling to the ground. His breathing panted a few more times before he went still.

The sound of wind through the grass was soft but eerily quiet as Frank looked around waiting to see what happens next. The McCracken wolves began to slowly retreat as Mr Way began howling what was no doubt a victory call.

Relief washed over Frank as he silently cried. It was over and he couldn't believe it. The rest of the pack joined in on howling and nipping at each other in excitement and it was the most beautiful sound Frank had ever heard. He stood up before searing pain shot through his chest and foot, causing him to stumble back to the ground.

"Fuck!" He cried as he looked down on his blood soaked and torn shirt. He lifted it to find four deep gashes across his abdomen. "Fuck" he whispered. This was a serious wound. A you-should-see-a-doctor wound. He couldn't walk, and riding back on a wolf would be far too painful. Frank would have to lay in the grass until sunrise and pray he didn't bleed out or freeze to death in the meantime. As Frank lay back onto the cold grass, he replayed as many memories of his life as he could. He could feel blood tricking down his sides and honestly he would be lucky to survive the night.

Suddenly a large soft body crawled its way to him, burrowing their way under Frank's head until it rest in the warm fur. Frank blearily looked over to see Mr Way propping his head up with his large wolf body. Jamia came in and squeezed in on his left side, and Gerard on his right, resting his large head gently on Frank's chest, almost touching his face. They were warm and would no doubt keep him warm. Another wolf burrowed under his knees as the rest of the pack that was there sat or laid near him, standing guard. Frank couldn't help but look over at Bert who's body still laid lifeless on the cold grass. He felt a pang of guilt that he was responsible for Bert dying but also remembered what he intended to do to Frank. Waves of guilt and relief and fear ebbed over him in a cruel and exhausting pattern.

Frank's attention was pulled away when Gerard nuzzled his nose against Frank's face. The cold wet pad reminding Frank he wasn't alone. No matter what form Gerard took, he still had the most beautiful eyes that made Frank weak and the two stared into each other's for several minutes. Frank scratched the top of his head softly before sleep came to grab him. Maybe this was the end, or maybe he would get to hold and kiss Gerard again, Frank wasn't sure, but he knew whatever happened that he was OK with it.


	31. Chapter 31

Frank regained consciousness long enough to feel his small body being carried bridal-style. He could hear gentle conversation around him but couldn't make out what was being said. The person carrying him tried to cradle him as gently as possible to avoid injuring him worse, but the pain he felt was excruciating. Frank's eyes were much too heavy and it was only matter of seconds before he was overcome with darkness again.

————————————————————————

When Frank woke again, his head was cradled by soft plush pillows and large warm blankets were draped over his body. Frank felt like he was in a cocoon of warmth and he never wanted to leave, but his grumbling stomach started controlling his thoughts. Opening his eyes, Frank saw he was in a bedroom, alone. The curtain had been pulled to prevent too much light from coming in but Frank could tell it was daytime.

With as much effort as he could muster, Frank pulled the blankets off of him slowly. He was reminded by the events of that terrifying night when he saw white bandages wrapped around his chest and stomach. Hell even his foot was wrapped up like a mummy.

"Fuck" he groaned before realizing he was in this bed in just his boxers. His cheeks blazed red realizing someone had removed his bloody clothes but now he didn't know what to wear. He couldn't walk around this place in just boxers. Looking over at the bedroom door, Frank saw a thick plush blue bathrobe hanging off a hook.

"Thank god" he breathed out.

Climbing out of bed was a feat that required grunts and groans and the occasional swear word but eventually Frank was able to stand. That carpet was thick under his toes and it felt nice and soft. Frank slowly hobbled his way to the door and pulled the bathrobe down, wrapping it around his small frame and tying the belt. As Frank slowly opened the large wooden bedroom door, he realized he had no clue where he was or where he was going. But his rumbling stomach was enough of a reason to step out into the quiet hall.

It was a long hall with a maroon rug that ran the entire length. Dark brown oak doors were spaced on either side but they were all closed. At the end of the hall was a staircase going down so Frank decided to try and find the kitchen in this place. Taking one step at a time, and wincing in pain, Frank was able to make it down the steps and through a set of large double doors before the atmosphere changed.

It was another hall, similar to the one he was just in, except it was full of life and noise. There were lots of doors open, kids running and playing and mothers trying to keep up after them. He recognized some of them as Way pack members and breathed a sigh of relief when he pieced together that he was inside the pack house. Towards the middle of the hall was a grand staircase that led down to yet another floor. Taking a deep breath, Frank slowly made his way towards it. As people walked passed him they smiled brightly or nodded their head, but didn't speak a word.

The grand steps were substantially larger but Frank was able to use the railing to keep himself upright. The main floor was even more busy, older boys and men working about, house keepers coming and going and kids chasing each other. It was a lingering smell of eggs that guided Frank to a large kitchen at the back of the house.

Walking in sheepishly, Frank looked around and saw a small wooden table in the corner, where Jamia sat shoveling food into her mouth. Frank smiled as he picked up his pace, hobbling over to her.

"Frank! You're awake!" Jamia cheered with a mouth full of food as she shot up off her chair and pulled Frank into a hug.

"Yeah, yeah" Frank chuckled breathlessly, "you cant get rid of me that easily".

"Come, sit. You must be starving" Jamia said as she pulled a wooden chair out next to her for Frank to sit on.

"Now that you mention it..." Frank replied.

"Pete! Bring Frank a plate!" Jamia called out and it was only a few seconds before a man appeared. To Frank's surprise there was no meat on the plate, but it was overloaded with French toast, eggs and hash browns. Frank didn't hesitate before digging right in, practically forgetting Jamia was sitting next to him.

"So how are you feeling? I bet you have some pretty awesome scars". Frank did his best to swallow his mouthful before responding.

"I guess I wouldn't know, I'm all bandaged up. But definitely sore."

"I thought you were never going to wake up" she sighed. Frank furrowed his brows.

"How long have I been sleeping?" He asked.

"Um, lets see" Jamia drummed her nails against the table as she thought. "It's been ... what, four days since the full moon?" Frank spit out the little food he was eating.

"I've been asleep for four days?!" He squeaked. Jamia nodded with a smile. "Fuck Patrick probably things I'm dead. And Sweet Pea! No doubt she definitely is dead by this time" Frank sulked. He had no clue where his phone was and the gravity of the situation was weighing heavily.

"What is a 'Sweet Pea'?" Jamia asked as she stole a bite of his French toast. For a skinny girl she sure can put her food away.

"It's my dog. Was my dog" Frank groaned. As much of a fucking brat that dog was, she was still Frank's everything.

"Oh wait, you mean that ugly rat-looking thing? It's in Gerard's room. Little shit thinks it runs the damn house and definitely isn't afraid of wolves" Jamia scoffed. Frank's heart melted at the thought that not only did Gerard think to take Sweet Pea in, but cared for her.

"Gerard" Frank said suddenly. "What happened to Gerard? Where is he? Is he ok?"

"Well I probably shouldn't say..." Jamia hesitated as she looked away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhangers because I’m still a piece of garbage 😁


	32. Chapter 32

"What do you mean 'you shouldn't say'?" Frank asked in a panicked tone. Jamia stared at him for a long moment before her face broke out into a smile.

"I'm totally fucking with you, Gee is fine" she laughed.

"Fuck, Jamia. You fucking scared me" Frank said, his voice still shaking.

"He's a little banged up. But wolves heal fast and he'll have some pretty awesome scars as well" she replied.

"Where is he?"

"I'm not sure. Usually the alphas after a full moon check on the village and outer lands to make sure everything is ok. I'm sure he'll be back eventually" Jamia shrugged.

"Why is everyone smiling at me but not saying anything to me? Shouldn't everyone be angry? Oh god I'm sure a lot of people are hurt because of my stupidity" Frank groaned. Jamia slowly turned to look at him like he was an idiot.

"I told you, wolves heal quickly, and besides, if it wasn't for you it would have been worse. You killing Bert, effectively stopping the fight. You're a hero". Frank scoffed.

"I'm no fucking hero" he grumbled.

"The pack sees you as one. And since you are the mate to the next pack leader, everyone is probably afraid to say it to your face but they're thankful for what you did" Jamia added with another mouthful of Frank's food. Frank mulled over her words for a bit, but definitely didn't feel like a hero with the amount of pain he was in. He felt weak and vulnerable.

The pair fell into a short silence before Frank noticed a young woman standing in the kitchen doorway. She couldn't be older than 11 or 12 and she was staring at Frank like she needed to say something. Jamia must have noticed the girl as well because she exhaled deeply.

"What do you need, Sarah" she said in a bored tone.

"M-Mrs Way wishes to see Mr Frank" she said softly. Frank looked over at Jamia a little shocked before she shrugged. Sighing but at least no longer starving, Frank stood up and abandoned his plate of food. He hadn't even taken a third step away from the table before Jamia dug right in to his leftovers.

Moving slowly, Frank followed the young lady back into the living space and towards the large steps.

"D-did she say what she wanted?" Frank tried to ask in a straight tone but honestly he was nervous.

"She didn't" Sarah responded quietly. Sarah kept her lead slow so she wouldn't get too far ahead of the limping Frank. After a few moments of silence between them, Frank asked a burning question.

"Do you work here? You're so young".

"Yes, but I want to. A few years ago my parents were banished from the pack and they left my younger siblings and I. Mrs Way took us in and raised us like we were her own. A few months ago I asked if I could help out around the house. I get paid decently and I'm treated well" Sarah explained. Frank breathed a sigh of relief. He definitely didn't want to join a family that forced kids into work.

Once the pair reached the top of the steps and the large wooden double doors to the third floor, Sarah stopped short.

"This is as far as I'm permitted to go. Mrs Way is in the study, it's on the right side, you can't miss it." Sarah gave him a small smile and turned to dart down the steps, leaving Frank alone to build up courage and see Gerard's mother.

Pushing the doors open, the noise of downstairs slowly melted away into quiet as the door slipped shut behind him. Soft classical music danced through the hall and no doubt came from the large study that Sarah was right, Frank couldn't miss.

Peaking his head around the door frame, Frank scanned the room until the short blonde woman came into view. She had her back to Frank and looked like she was dusting. He quietly hobbled into the room, taking in the vastness of it all. There were ceiling to floor windows on the far wall, and large shelves full of books. The walls hung old looking artwork and dark plush leather chairs were situated in the center of the room.

Frank cleared his throat to get Mrs Way's attention, which worked and she turned around swiftly, a warm smile spreading across her face.

"Frank" she beamed softly as she set her dusting rag on the coffee table between the leather chairs as she made her way across the room. When she reached Frank, she pulled him in for a gentle yet powerful hug, completely taking him by surprise.

"Thank you" she whispered, but Frank couldn't mistake the hint of emotion in her voice.

"Y-you don't need to thank me" Frank replied.

"Oh but I do" she said as she pulled back to look at Frank. Just as he assumed, there were tears in her eyes but her smile was bigger than ever. "You're our hero."

"Mrs. Way..." Frank blushed as he tried to deny the hero title.

"Oh please, dear, call me Donna. Or Mom." Frank smiled shyly. "Make yourself at home, the third floor is open to you, as well as the rest of the house. Besides Mr Way's office, obviously". Frank nodded in understanding. "How are you feeling? How are your wounds?" Mrs Way asked as she finally released her vice grip on Frank.

"Definitely sore" he chuckled.

"Well don't just stand there then, come sit" she replied as she led Frank to a chair. He sighed in content as he sunk down into the chair that was even more comfier than it looked. Mrs Way went back to dusting as she hummed quietly along with the music and Frank gazed out the window.

A soft knock on the door to the study pulled Frank's attention out of his head as he saw a woman standing there.

"Frank?" She said softly. "I'm sure you don't remember me because you've been asleep for so long but I'm Greta, one of the pack nurses. I've come to change your bandages". Getting out of the chair was harder than he thought and Mrs Way had to help him up. Greta was older than Frank, but definitely younger than Mrs Way as he followed her out of the study and back to the bedroom he had woke up in.


	33. Chapter 33

He wasn't normally a shy person, but having to strip back down to his boxers in front of a stranger made him weary. Greta must have sensed this because after she closed the bedroom door softly, she spoke.

"Don't worry, Frank. I'm a nurse so there is no need for you to be nervous" she smiled politely. Frank nodded once and slowly untied the blue bathroom before slipping it off his shoulders. Greta sat down on a small stool in the room, her eyes raking over the thick bandages on his chest as Frank waited for instructions.

"How is your pain today, Frank?" She asked as she turned away and opened a bag he hadn't notice she was carrying. She slowly laid out several rolls of white bandages, gauze, medical tape and scissors.

"It's very sore" Frank breathed out. He felt like he could be real with Greta, needed to be real with her because essentially she was the one that would help him heal.

"That sounds about right" she agreed as she patted the bed next to her, signaling Frank to sit. It took a moment and the pain was searing across his chest but he got into position. Greta grabbed the scissors and began cutting away the bandages until Frank was left with thick squares of gauze taped to his chest. "This may hurt" she said softly as she started peeling back each piece. Under it was three long gashes that had been carefully stitched closed. Frank winced when part of the gauze tugged on one of the gashes but held his breath. Greta studied the injuries closely for a few moments before pulling away.

"Well they're healing nicely. Slowly, but nicely. I'm going to get some warm soapy water so we can clean it and I'll wrap you back up" she said as she stood up and walked out of the room. There was no bathroom attached to this room so he assumed she had gone to one down the hall. She wasn't gone long before she returned with a large ceramic white bowl and a few towels. After instructing Frank to lay flat, she moved the stool next to him and gently dipped the soft white cotton rag into the water.

Frank winced loudly in pain as she began gently cleaning the wounds, but she didn't stop which ultimately Frank was thankful for. The faster she cleaned it the faster she would stop.

"How bad were Gerard's injuries?" he blurted out before he could stop himself.

"Gerard was very lucky. A few gashes here and a few bite punctures there. Nothing that even required stitches. Not that he would have wanted them anyway, alphas and their scars for bragging rights and all" she smiled as she looked at Frank.

"What about anyone else? Was anyone else hurt because of ... well me?" Frank asked barely above a whisper. Greta could sense what he was asking and she pulled away, being sure to wring the cloth into the water thoroughly.

"Obviously you had the most serious injuries," she started, "and many wolves had injuries similar to Gerard, but no one died and no one was crucially injured." Frank breathed a very large sigh of relief knowing nobody died for him. He didn't think he could live with it if someone did.

The pair continued small talk while Greta cleaned and bandaged his chest before turning and repeating the entire process towards his foot. His foot didn't have large cuts like his stomach but there were some deep puncture wounds.

"You're lucky you can still walk" Greta noted, "the foot has many small bones and tendons that could have easily been destroyed." After wrapping up his foot and cleaning up her supplies, Greta left Frank with the promise of seeing him after dinner to do it all again.

Frank laid in silence for a while before deciding he needed a bathroom. Slipping back out into the hall, the bathroom was easy to find because of the door Greta left open. After doing his business and washing his hands, Frank looked at himself in the mirror. He looked like hell. His eyes held dark rings and he had lost a bit of weight, enough to have his ribs beginning to poke out. His face was pale, his hair disheveled and the light behind his eyes substantially dimmed. Sighing heavily, Frank left the bathroom before remembering what Jamia told him about Sweet Pea. His stomach clenched as he peered up and down the hall trying to figure which room belonged to Gerard.

Hobbling back to the study to ask Mrs Way, he was disappointed to find the large room empty. Walking back up the hallway, he whistled softly, trying to listen to any sound of his dog behind any door.

Frank had been pacing back and forth whistling and calling for his dog softly for almost ten minutes before his strength started to diminish and he slowly retreated to his room. As he was closing the door, voices could be heard from the steps. Frank kept his eyes trained on the wooden double doors as the steps and voices grew closer. Even though Frank knew people were coming, he still jumped slightly when it was pushed open, revealing Mrs Way, Mr Way and the most beautiful sight, Gerard.

He looked tired and worn out as he kept his gaze to the ground, Mr and Mrs Way talking amongst themselves behind him. That was until he lifted his head and met eyes with Frank. Gerard was wearing dark jeans and a black tee shirt, haunting red lines that were littered across his arms, no doubt from the full moon fight. His hair was disheveled but he was alive.

"Frank" Gerard breathed out as he picked up his pace, practically jogging to where his boyfriend stood.

"Gee-" Frank started before he was cut off by Gerard's soft pliable lips attacking his. It felt like Frank was a starving man finally having a drink of water and he couldn't find it in himself to detach from Gerard. In fact, he laced his arms around his neck while Gerard gingerlywrapped his around the small of Frank's back. The two lovers were so enamored in their reunion that they didn't even notice Mrs Way pulling her husband back out the double doors and down the stairs to give the two mates some privacy.


	34. Chapter 34

Gerard slowly pushed Frank back into the room and shut the door behind him without detaching their lips for even a moment. By the time he found the bed and laid Frank on it gently, his kisses started growing frantic and more passionate. They weren't sexual in nature, it was like Gerard's wolf was demanding to make up for lost time and Frank definitely wasn't complaining.

"Frank, Fuck" Gerard whined between kisses. "I almost lost you, I couldn't lose you."

"Gee" Frank whimpered, it was the only word Frank's short-circuiting brain could form.

"It's okay, baby, you're okay, you're safe" Gerard continued, still frantically kissing and nipping at Frank's lips. Gerard hovered over him, careful not to press on Frank's bandages. The pair made out heatedly for a while before Gerard reluctantly pulled away, both of their lips swollen and chapped. Gerard gently laid next to Frank and held him protectively as they fell into a comfortable silence. But the sudden realization Frank had, caused him to sit up abruptly in bed, then yell out in pain as a response.

"What's wrong" Gerard said, clutching a swearing Frank who really shouldn't have sat up so quickly.

"Gerard I didn't get changed! I missed the window and now I have to wait a full year!" Frank said with wild hand gestures.

Gerard smiled sadly as Frank looked at him desperately.

"It's ok love, I'd rather wait another year than lose you" Gerard said gently. "You have a whole year to decide if you really like the pack ... if you really like me." Frank turned and looked at Gerard with a shocked expression because he was showing a side of vulnerability Frank hadn't really seen before. But deep down Gerard was scared. After being unable to turn Frank that night, Gerard was afraid that in a years time Frank's feelings would change. With great effort, Frank shifted his body on the bed so he was face to face with Gerard. Leaning forward and tucking a thick piece of hair behind his ear, Frank smiled.

"You risked your life for me and I risked mine for you. I don't see that changing in the next year" Frank said gently. "I love you, Gerard Way". Gerard slowly looked up at Frank before surging forward and sealing those words with a gentle kiss.

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"I really think I'm going to vomit" Frank said as his little body shook. It had been about a week since the couple were reunited and Gerard hovered over him like a protective mother. That morning, Sarah came to Frank during breakfast saying Mr Way wished to speak with him alone later and now Frank was certain he was about to look death right in the face.

"I'm sure it will be fine" Gerard tried to be soothing as he massaged Frank's beyond-tense shoulders.

"Just say good things at my funeral" Frank winced.

"Okay, drama queen" Gerard chuckled. Frank's response was all but lost when a soft knock at the bedroom door signaled it was time. Exhaling sharply, Frank turned and kissed Gerard's cheek before walking slowly out the door. Gerard only smiled at his boyfriends fear, knowing this was very unlikely a bad meeting.

The door at the end of the hall was Mr Way's office but honestly he wouldn't have known unless someone pointed it out. There were no signs or clues this room was private but Frank remembered only the Way family was allowed on the third floor. Knocking swiftly he heard a muffled 'come in'.The bronze door handle felt like ice in his hand as he slowly turned it, revealing a large office with a big mahogany desk in the middle. Mr Way sat on the other side of the desk, watching Frank slowly enter and close the door behind him. The two men stared at each other for a moment before Mr Way stood up.

"First things first" he said in an authoritative tone before walking swiftly around the desk and before Frank could react, grabbing him in a bone crushing hug. Fuck these Way's were tight huggers. After a moment of shock and hesitation, Frank returned the gesture, patting Mr Way on the back softly. Mr Way pulled back and smiled down at Frank who was still trembling like a leaf.

"I'm sorry to startle you but I needed to do that. We owe you everything." Frank didn't trust his voice so he only nodded slightly in understanding. "Come and sit. Let's chat"

Mr Way chuckled as he signaled towards the set of smaller wooden chairs near the desk. Frank took one and fully expected Mr Way to retake his seat on the other side of the desk but gasped a little in surprise when he took the chair directly next to Frank.

"I'm sure meeting the pack leader alone in his office frightened you, but I wanted to thank you personally. You truly are a hero to this family" Mr Way beamed. Frank forced a smile but didn't respond. All week people thanked him, gifted him things like fruit baskets, pies, wood carvings, really just about anything. But Frank felt like it was a farce. He didn't feel like he deserved any praise. Mr Way must have caught onto this right away. "You are a hero, Frank, why don't you believe that?" Frank sighed.

"I feel like what I did was more stupid than heroic, sir" he said quietly. Mr Way contemplated his words carefully before he laughed.

"It's funny how often those two term coincide, isn't it?" He giggled.

"I guess" Frank shrugged.

"Look at me" Mr Way instructed gently. "Is it stupid that a human decided to tango with a wolf? Probably. Is it stupid that a human tried to outrun an alpha male on more than one occasion? I suppose. But, Frank, you fought for someone you love, you put your life in danger to gamble on the 1% chance you might win. That selflessness, that's what makes a hero. Had you not done what you done, Gerard or Mikey could have been killed. And seeing that McCracken wasn't usually keen on rules he probably wouldn't have stopped until he wiped the entire pack out. Your courageous act stopped all of that. You might not feel like a hero, Frank, but in the eyes of every wolf that walks our grounds today, you most certainly are."

Frank absorbed Mr Way's words like a sponge. He still didn't feel like some amazing hero that deserved all the praise he was getting, but he did feel a little bubble of pride knowing he saved Gerard's life and he would gladly do it all over again.


	35. Chapter 35

The conference room was full of people who Frank was slowly learning were alphas and high ranking betas. Mr Way sat at the head of the table, with Mrs Way to his left. Gerard sat to his right, and Frank sat to Gerard's right. Mikey and Ray took similar seats to Mrs Way's left. These types of meetings and gatherings had a specific seating arrangement and being the packs future Luna meant Frank would always have a place right next to Gerard.

This meeting was called only a few days after Frank's talk with Mr Way. The group planned to update each other on how the full moon went and the fate of the McCrackens pack, as well as any other news that needed to be shared. Frank remembered Liz's plea before she helped him, but he didn't even know if she survived the night. Mr Way lifted a hand to signal the group to quiet down so they can begin.

"Thank you everyone for coming. I apologize that this post-full moon meeting has come so much later than normal. We obviously had a very eventful night that night." Several people in the room nodded. "First thing is first, I would like to formally announce to you before I say anything at the next pack dinner, but this young man's name is Frank and he is your pack's future Luna" Mr Way continued as he motioned to where Frank sat. Frank stood up and waved awkwardly before sitting back down. Once he was sat again Gerard laced their fingers together tightly under the table.

"But sir he is a human!" Someone said.

"Yes, I am aware Frank is a human, but we all know that the Goddess likes to shake things up a bit. Frank has showed more courage in the last few weeks than many wolves do in their lifetimes. Gerard has a true mate here and this will be a conversation of the past when Frank is formally turned next fall." Some people in the crowd gasped.

"Isn't that illegal?" A woman asked.

"It's illegal to change an unwilling participant. I know without a doubt that Frank is willing" Mr Way replied.

"Now onto something more important right now, give me an update on the McCracken pack." A man about Mr Way's age stood up.

"As you know, we were successful in eliminating a pack alpha. The only pack alpha as it appears. When their alpha died, many betas fled the territory, but some omegas stayed. They have been jailed until we decide if they want to defect or not." Mr Way nodded in approval.

"What about Liz?" Frank heard someone ask before realizing that had come from his own mouth. The entire room looked at him in shock. The man that was talking cleared his throat before replying.

"Two wolves who were defectors from the Way pack were caught. Mates. The male fought hard but was eliminated quickly, and the female went with us willingly. We were planning on executing her and any other pack defectors we found." Frank squeezed Gerard's hand hard before turning to Mr Way.

"Please don't do that. Not yet" he pleaded.

"Frank" Mr Way sighed. It was highly unlikely to have someone talk out of turn but because of the amount of respect Mr Way had for Frank he allowed it.

"She left our pack to join a rival. Who's to say she won't try to betray us again?"

"She helped me. She gave me the knife I used to cut through the ropes on my wrist. The knife that ultimately killed Bert. I'm sorry Mr Way I know this isn't the right time but believe me, she deserves special consideration." Mr Way pursed his lips momentarily before speaking.

"Alright Frank, we'll talk about it later." Frank sighed in relief as the group moved on. Frank learned that the Way pack was claiming most of the McCracken land, as well as them burning the McCracken pack house. He also learned Bert's body was buried next to his father, in a section of land that remained unclaimed. Frank had a hard time listening after that and finding himself in thoughts of Gerard. The two hadn't been intimate in weeks but Gerard insisted on waiting until Frank was more healed, even though he wanted to claw his eyes out at the lack of intimacy.

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The meeting ended not long after that, but the Way family stayed behind as the rest of the group filed out.

"Mr Way, I am sorry about the interruption today but I made a promise to Liz" Frank started before anyone else could say anything. Mr Way looked at him in awe.

"You really are fiercely loyal, aren't you?" He asked.

"Yes." Mr Way sighed.

"Ok. Tell me what happened." Frank spilled the entire story as the family listened intently. Gerard tensed visibly when Frank said it was essentially Liz and Zach's fault that he was taken but nobody interrupted him as he spoke.When he finished, Frank looked at Mr Way expectantly. Mr Way thought over Frank's plead and even paced back and forth a little bit.

"Ok, Frank. Consider this your first official decision as a Way pack leader. You make the choice and we'll follow through."

Frank definitely wasn't considering that option and suddenly it felt like he had been punched in the gut. If he chose wrong, she would either do more damage or be innocently killed.

"Just trust your gut" Gerard whispered thickly into his ear causing Frank to shiver.

"She should be punished for leaving the pack, but her punishment shouldn't be death" Frank decided. Mrs Way smiled approvingly and even Mikey shot him a thumbs up. Mr Way patted Frank on the back in response and walked over to Mrs Way as he rested his hands on top of her shoulders. The parents looked over at both of their sons, so smart and strong and in love.

"Look at us, Donna, who would have thought one day we would have four sons?" Mr Way gushed loudly.

"Oh god, father no!" Mikey groaned. "That sounds so... and it makes us sound... ick!" He said before grabbing Ray's hand and dragging him out of the room.

"I'm going to put Frank to bed" Gerard added without taking his eyes off his mate. "This first decision stuff has made him exhausted, I'm sure." Frank couldn't help but see the glimpse of something in Gerard's eye and his heart fluttered, as he stood up and practically dragged Gerard out of the room. Mr and Mrs Way shared a sweet chaste kiss before leaving hand in hand out of the pack meeting room.


	36. Epilogue

~One Year Later~

Frank stood in front of the mirror adjusting his tie as he breathed heavily. Fuck he was nervous. He told Gerard they didn't have to do this, it wasn't required but Gerard insisted. Wolves didn't have weddings, they had binding ceremonies which were essentially the same thing. The ceremonies weren't required and mates could still live a normal life without one, but it was an old tradition. It was a ceremony where the pack elders essentially recognize a mated couple formally and while Gerard wasn't super keen on the idea, Donna was.

Ray and Mikey had their ceremony last year and to say she went a little overboard was a massive understatement. Frank wanted to keep her happy, over the last year he had grown extremely close to Mr and Mrs Way. They filled the void of parents he never really had and they treated him just like a son. A son that was made of glass, but a son nonetheless.

While Ray and Mikey elected to have their binding ceremony in the spring, Gerard insisted they do theirs in the fall, as close to Frank's birthday and the following full moon. After Frank missed his chance to be turned during his last birthday, it gave him an entire year to learn extensively about the pack and his future job.

Frank furrowed his brows as he stared at his tie that he had retied about six times now, convinced it was still crooked.

"Knock knock" a soft voice said from outside the room. Mrs Way opened the door, her face beaming with excitement.

"How's it coming along, dear, almost ready?"

"I don't know" Frank groaned. "Is this crooked? It's crooked isn't it?" Mrs Way just smiled softly and stepped towards him, reaching out and fixing his tie. "Look at me, I'm shaking."

"Honey you'll be fine" she soothed. Frank didn't understand where this random bout of nerves came from. He was "marrying" the love of his life. But he was also horribly unlucky, he felt. They were having the ceremony outside in the field Frank risked his life in. It would take place at sunset because tomorrow was Frank's birthday and three days after that was the full moon.

"What if I trip and fall? Or it rains?" Mrs Way held Frank's hands tightly while he came down from his unnecessary hysteria.

"You love Gerard and he loves you. It's just you two, let everyone else blend in with the trees" she said softly. Frank visibly relaxed at her words. Another knock at the door made Frank jump slightly.

"Are you decent?" Mr Way joked loudly. Frank rolled his eyes and Mrs Way told him to get in here already.

"Are you ready?" He smiled widely. Frank tried to return the gesture but his was much weaker.

"I'm so nervous" he breathed out.

"Don't be. Once during one couples ceremony, the man was so nervous he accidentally shifted mid-ceremony and knocked over people and tables." Frank turned to Mr Way with wife shocked eyes.

"Damnit Donald!" Mrs Way lectured. "Don't startle the poor boy any more than he is."

"My point is even with all the hiccups and little mistakes, this will still be the best day of your life to look back on."

Mr Way patted him on the back before clearing his throat and pulling a small velvet box out of his pocket.

"If I didn't know any better I would say you're about to propose" Frank laughed nervously, trying to make light of the situation. Mr Way blushed before handing over the box.

"Here. Think of this as a gift from Ma and me." Frank opened the box to find a shiny gold chain. On the chain was a small round pendant with a wolf. "It's the Way Pack family crest. You are a Way pack member now."

Frank gently lifted the necklace from the box and put it around his neck, watching as the gold pendant shimmered in the light.

"Thank you" he whispered, his eyes full of tears.

"Okay now enough crying, lets do this" Mrs Way said, linking both of her arms through each man's.

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The field was full of wolves just like it was that night, but this time they were all in human form and dressed to the nines. There was no anger or fear here today, only love and respect. White wooden chairs had been lined up on either side of an aisle way that had a long white cloth down it. There wasn't a single chair open, and many guests were forced to stand but no one complained.

Mr and Mrs Way left Frank at the end of the aisle as they made their way to the front, greeting and chatting with guests. Frank scanned the smiling faces but didn't see the one he was looking for. Where was Gerard?

"Thank you family for coming out and seeing my son's binding ceremony, it truly is a glorious day" Mr Way spoke loudly from the front part of the aisle. "Frank?" He called, signaling for Frank to walk towards him. Many of the guests congratulated him or patted his shoulders. Frank just smiled.

"Frank, you have shown yourself a true warrior of our pack, and an honorable mate for our future pack leader." Mr Way turned Frank around so he was facing back down the long aisle when he saw him. Gerard stood at the other end in a matching black suit and black tie. His hands were casually in his pockets as he watched the scene unfold, a shy smile on his face.

Frank blushed under Gerard's intense gaze, wanting so badly to feel his soft lips. Frank had kind of spaced out while oogling his boyfriend and before he knew it Gerard was striding up the aisle towards Frank. People wished him well as well but he ignored it, his eyes only fixed on Frank. Gerard took Frank's hands in his and they faced each other as Mr Way continued to speak.

"This stake is the stake my great great grandmother fought against when humans tried to attack her." He handed Gerard and Frank an aged stick of wood that had obviously had its ends snapped off. It was about twelve inches long, long enough for Frank and Gerard to each hold together. "And this rope was used to bound my great great grandfather before he was able to free himself." Mr Way took the long thick rope and wrapped it around the stake and over both men's hands, effectively binding their hands to the stake.

"Nothing could separate those true mates and nothing can separate you two either. From this moment on, you two are bound together, mind, body and soul." The crowd erupted in cheers and Gerard leaned down sneaking a quick kiss from Frank's smiling lips.

"When we leave this field today, Frank will now be known as Frank Iero-Way: a pack Luna". Another round of cheer. Frank and Gerard turned to face the crowd as Mr Way untied the rope around their hands. "Go forth and do naught but good in this world." With a wild glimmer in Gerard's eyes, the couple laced fingers and ran down the aisle and through the woods, laughing along the way.

As they ran, Frank thought through his life. He always felt unlucky losing so many people he loved but today he was on top of the world. After long discussions and a relentless company, Frank decided to finally sell his diner to Denny's restraunt for an insane amount of money. They had been hounding Frank for years to sell but now he had nothing anchoring him to that small jersey town. Lindsey even managed to snag the general manager job of the new Denny's that had its grand opening six months ago.

Anytime Frank thought about the diner he thought about Patrick who was one of the few people in Frank's old life that knew all about Gerard and his family. He learned about it after meeting Pete, Gerard's chef, who immediately imprinted on poor Trick. Patrick wanted some time before being changed himself but was fully supportive of Frank's decision. Who would have thought Frank's chef would fall in love with Gerard's?

When Frank's lungs felt like they were about to burst, both men stopped running, deciding to hold each other close as night fell. Frank threaded his arms around Gerard's neck, and Gerard wrapped his around Frank's waist.

"I love you" Gerard whispered as he pressed their foreheads together.

"I love you more" Frank replied back instantly. Their love was unlike any other. It was intense, passionate and deep, but it was there's for all eternity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And a few days later Gerard turned Frank with a deep bite to the shoulder and they had a lot of freaky wolf sex and lived happily ever after with Sweet Pea 😁


End file.
